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Los Angeles County Flood Control Dist. v. Natural Resources Defense Council
(U.S. Supreme Court)
Definition of a "discharge" from an "outfall" under the CWA
Two environmental groups sued a municipality for discharging water that allegedly exceeded water quality standards. However, the discharge was from a concrete flood control system used simply to reroute a river. The Supreme Court decided that water coming from such a source does not constitute a “discharge” under the Clean Water Act (CWA). Limiting the breadth of obligations that might be required of municipalities trying to control floods and stormwater helps keep down costs for everyone within their jurisdictions.
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