General prohibition.
El Paso City Code § 15.20.080
in effect15.20.080 - General prohibition.
A. No person shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) or waters within the jurisdiction of the city any discharge that is not composed entirely of stormwater.
B. It is an affirmative defense to any enforcement action for violation of subsection A of this section that the discharge was composed entirely of one or more of the following categories of discharges:
1. A discharge authorized by, and in full compliance with, an NPDES permit (other than the NPDES permit for discharges from the MS4);
2. A discharge resulting from firefighting;
3. Agricultural stormwater runoff;
4. A discharge from water line flushing, but not including a discharge from water line disinfection by superchlorination or other means unless it contains no harmful quantity of chlorine or any other chemical used in line disinfection;
5. A discharge from lawn watering, landscape irrigation, or other irrigation water;
6. A discharge from a diverted stream flow or natural spring;
7. A discharge from uncontaminated pumped groundwater or rising groundwater;
8. Uncontaminated groundwater infiltration (as defined as 40 CFR Section 35.2005 (20)) to the MS4;
9. Uncontaminated discharge from a foundation drain, crawl space pump, footing drain or sump pump;
10. A discharge from a potable water source not containing any harmful substance or material from the cleaning or draining of a storage tank or other container;
11. A discharge from air conditioning condensation that is unmixed with water from a cooling tower, emissions scrubber, emissions filter, or any other source of pollutant;
12. A discharge from individual residential or charity car washing;
13. An uncontaminated discharge from riparian habitat or wetland;
14. A discharge from water used in street washing; provided, that the water is not contaminated with any harmful cleaning substance;
C. No affirmative defense shall be available under subsection B of this section if the discharge or flow in question has been determined by the city to be a source of a pollutant or pollutants to the waters of the United States or to the MS4, and written notice of such determination has been provided to the discharger.
(Ord. 13477 § 1 (part), 1998)
Source: City of El Paso, City Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/el_paso/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT15PUSE_CH15.20STMA_15.20.080GEPRFetched: 10/28/2026