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For over 30 years, industrial and municipal clients have regularly turned to Melissa Thorme to assist in resolving their environmental compliance issues and negotiating or litigating their regulatory enforcement actions.

Melissa counsels numerous businesses, including food processors, lumber companies, agricultural entities, contractors, marinas and boat yards, auto dismantlers, small manufacturing companies, and oil field waste produced water facilities, in addition to sanitation districts, counties, and cities throughout California on matters related to NPDES, wastewater, and recycled water discharge permitting and waivers, TMDLs, and enforcement actions brought by regulatory agencies or in Clean Water Act/Prop. 65 citizen suits. She also assists with stormwater drainage matters for public agencies, vineyards, and food processing businesses.

With a specific focus on stormwater and wastewater regulatory compliance issues, Melissa has successfully negotiated or challenged numerous discharge permits and enforcement actions before administrative agencies and in state and federal courts, with two consolidated permit appeal cases for the cities of Los Angeles and Burbank receiving a published opinion in the California Supreme Court. Melissa has also successfully litigated challenges to invalidate state and U.S. EPA water quality standards set in the Central Valley and Los Angeles regions, and has negotiated many settlement agreements for various clients. In addition to water-related law, Melissa also has experience in complex litigation, CEQA, land use planning, real estate transactions, site investigation and remediation, endangered species compliance, 404 dredge and fill projects, and 401 certification processing.