Los Angeles Fourth of July Firework Displays Canceled Amid New Environmental Regulations

Fireworks light up the sky in Santa Ana, Calif., on July 4, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Several firework displays that were set to take place on July Fourth in Los Angeles County have been canceled by the fireworks vendor, citing new environmental regulations.

The cancellations come after the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a countywide order in May (pdf) requiring vendors of firework displays in Los Angeles County to first obtain a permit and encouraging them to use biodegradable plastics.

They must also not leave any floating plastics or debris in the water following a show and must submit a “Best Management Practices ” plan describing procedures they have in place to ensure that residual firework pollutant discharges will not adversely affect waters.

Additionally, they must agree to undergo monitoring to ensure the plan is correctly and efficiently implemented.

“This Order is intended to authorize discharges from public firework displays (residual firework pollutants) into waters of the United States in the Los Angeles Region,” the order states.

“The Clean Water Act (CWA) prohibits the discharge of any pollutant to waters of the United States, except in compliance with an NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit. Residual firework pollutants discharged into surface waters constitutes discharge of a pollutant,” the order continues.

“Therefore, coverage under an NPDES permit is required before residual firework pollutant discharges associated with the public display of fireworks can be lawfully discharged. Discharges authorized under this Order are subject to all applicable conditions set forth in this Order,” it adds.

Environmental Activists File Lawsuit

In order to prevent pollution, the order encourages firework vendors to use alternatives such as biodegradable firework materials or to “select an alternative debris fallout location based on readily available meteorological data to eliminate or reduce residual firework pollutant discharges to waters of the United States.”

The order came in response to a federal lawsuit (pdf) filed by environmental activists in November 2021 in the U.S. District Court against Naples Restaurant Group, which is the fiscal sponsor and organizer of the annual “Big Bang on the Bay” fireworks display, and John Morris, managing member and primary organizer of the annual Big Bang on the Bay fireworks event.

In its lawsuit, the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation sought relief for what it said was the defendants’ “substantive and procedural violations of the Clean Water Act resulting from their unlawful discharge of pollutants into Alamitos Bay.”

“Specifically, defendants have discharged and continue to discharge fireworks debris and pollution into Alamitos Bay and the Pacific Ocean without a permit, in violation of the express terms and conditions of the Clean Water Act,” the lawsuit says.

“Many species of waterbirds forage and roost at the Marina, including some classified as endangered, of special concern, or special animals. Two species listed by the State and federal governments as endangered and known to frequent Alamitos Bay are the California brown pelican and the California least tern,” the suit continued.

“Over 40 different fish species have been found in Alamitos Bay, and bottlenose dolphins and gray whales are occasionally found in the Bay’s entrance channel or adjacent San Gabriel River mouth. California sea lions and harbor seals also occasionally enter Alamitos Bay” the environmental group noted.

Some Firework Displays Canceled

The lawsuit added that fireworks typically contain potassium nitrate (saltpeter), sulfur, and charcoal along with a string of other components the plaintiffs said fall into the water once a firework is detonated.

While a judge ultimately dismissed the lawsuit, the case pushed the regional water board in Los Angeles to update its firework display regulations, although not everyone is happy with the move.

“We cannot and will not risk the safety of our staff and the public to comply with the restrictive regulations,” Jim Souza, chief executive of the Rialto-based company Pyro Spectaculars by Souza, said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.

His company had opted out of seeking the necessary permit ahead of this year’s July Fourth displays, resulting in the cancellation of several events.

“The water board instituted the new regulations quickly and unilaterally, with little input from us, one of the largest and most experienced firework show producers in the nation,” Souza added.

In a separate statement to the publication, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board acknowledged that it had implemented the new permits just months before the upcoming fireworks celebrations but insisted that officials had “reached out to known fireworks displays over coastal waters in Los Angeles and Ventura counties to explain the permit requirements and offer assistance with permit applications.”

Despite the last-minute nature of the new permits, the majority of the planned fireworks shows are set to go ahead in Los Angeles on Independence Day, although five have been canceled, including two that were set to take place at Redondo Beach, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board for further comment.