South Bay businesses face fines from California water-quality board

The taxpayer-funded Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve was the only public entity on a list of 31 outfits that received a warning letter from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board for not filing annual reports on time, according to the executive officer's report, delivered at the board's meeting on Wednesday, December 12.

Most of the other violators, which are now subject to fines for being more than 30 days late, are auto towing and wrecking companies. Bimbo bakeries, in Chula Vista, also made the list. All of the companies were required to file the annual reports between October 9 and 23 and had not done so before the December 12 meeting.

A General Industrial Storm Water Permit requires that facilities larger than an acre report each year on their plans and practices to prevent storm-drain contamination. The requirements have effectively been in place since 1997.

Regional Water Quality Control Board executive officer Dave Gibson says fines are no less than $1000.