A Thousand Oaks man was recently arrested after a local citizen reported seeing him open up a manhole cover and pour something into a city sewer.

Ryan Philip Edelstein, 24, pleaded guilty to the unlawful discharge of materials into a sewer, a misdemeanor. He was getting rid of carpet cleaning waste.

While some cities issue permits to businesses that use the public sewer system for dumping certain types of waste, Thousand Oaks doesn’t. In fact, Thousand Oaks doesn’t allow anyone to access the sewer system. The city also prohibits anyone not working for the city to remove manhole covers to gain access to the municipal sewer system.

“It’s illegal to lift any of those covers—for obvious reasons,” said Mark Watkins, public works director.

Some manhole covers access the sewer system while others are for storm drains, he said. Putting substances into the sewer or storm drain system could clog them.

“Carpet cleaners should discharge their waste into a toilet or bathtub. Then it goes to the water treatment facility, where it’s cleaned,” Watkins said.

Chemicals going into storm drains could send poisons to local streams and into the ocean— often killing wildlife and spreading toxins along the way.

“Nothing is allowed in storm drains except water that falls from the sky,” Watkins said.

Water from irrigation or washing vehicles also shouldn’t be going down the curbs of Thousand Oaks and into the drains.

“People should adjust sprinklers so they don’t overwater,” Watkins said.

If detergent isn’t used, cars can be washed on lawns.   On Feb. 10 Edelstein was ordered to pay a fine of $250 and an additional $100 for restitution. He was placed on misdemeanor probation for 12 months, requiring him to obey all laws and provide proof of proper disposal of any waste.

Any subsequent violations could be charged as a felony offense.   Without vigilance and assistance of private citizens, crimes of unlawful disposal or dumping often go unsolved, according to a district attorney report.

Additional information about complying with dumping rules is at www.vcstormwater.org or www.cleanwatershed.org .