Blue Urbanism: San Diego’s New Stormwater Permits will Change its Relationship with the Pacific Ocean

An interview with Bill Harris, spokesman for the CIty of San Diego stormwater diviision (photo acknowledgement: San Diego Union-Tribune)

Stepping Up to Stormwater Rules

“Imagine a city without rainspouts, where precipitation funnels into cisterns or barrels instead. Envision parks with flower-filled basins that catch and trap runoff. Picture streets that absorb rain as it falls,” writes Deborah Sullivan Brennan in an article published in the San Diego Union-Trimble.

The article is an interview with Bill Harris, spokesman for the City of San Diego stormwater division. In the article, the author elaborates on a stormwater permit passed by the city in 2013. Bill Harris is the Supervising Public Information Officer at the City of San Diego.

“The permit organizes the county into distinct watersheds, or broad areas that feed individual streams and rivers — and ultimately flow to the ocean. It calls for city and county governments to set numeric goals for reducing contaminants in each of those areas, so the flow of “urban drool” into the ocean is reduced.”

When asked why does this matter to San Diego, Bill Harris replied that: “It matters a great deal. It matters because so much of how we define ourselves rests on our association with the ocean. We must protect our ocean. It defines us, it supports us, it distinguishes us from other communities.”

To Learn More:

To download a copy of the complete interview with Bill Harris, click on Stepping up to stormwater rules.