The California Coastkeeper Alliance has developed an online interactive map to help the public and agencies track and improve compliance with water quality laws.  This tool maps all dischargers that have been issued “mandatory minimum penalties” (MMPs) in the ten years since the laws setting these minimum penalties took effect.  State data show that 764 facilities merited 26,286 MMPs from January 2000 through March 2010, and the majority of MMPs occur along the coast.

The interactive map allows communities to have more information about enforcement activities in their area, including the number of citations over the last ten years for each facility.

The map is part of a larger effort to increase the public’s awareness of polluting facilities in their communities and to encourage the Water Boards to hold polluters accountable to laws protecting our waterways. The California Coastkeeper Alliance and others are closely monitoring five bills currently before the California Legislature that would modify and, in some cases, significantly weaken the MMP program to allow violators to avoid penalties.

For more information, and to explore the interactive map, visit California Coastkeeper Alliance.