Restaurant Owner Faces $2,000 a Day City Fine...for Washing Bird Poop Off the Sidewalk

A Texas restaurant owner is up in arms after Corpus Christi city officials informed him he can no longer wash the bird poop off the sidewalk in front of his business -- not unless he wants a $2,000 fine, KRIS-TV reported.

John Webb, general manager of Crawdaddy's in downtown Corpus Christi, told the station he's been hosing the sidewalk down for 18 years. That is, until city officials told him earlier this month he was breaking the law. The reason? A city storm water ordinance that bars anyone from washing pollutants, like bird poop, into the storm drain system that leads out to the bay -- with a $2,000 a day fine for violations.

"If I can't wash my sidewalk off what am I supposed to do? I'm at a loss at how to clean this up," Webb told KRIS. "Now I'm stuck with having dirty sidewalks and this bird poop. It's nasty."

City officials told the station their ordinance is based on state standards and is similar to what other cities have. But here's the catch: officials say it's fine if rainwater washes the poop out into the storm drain system.

"It just seems kinda foolish that rain washing it off is a natural occurrence, but a water hose washing it off is a pollutant. It just really doesn't make much since to me," Webb said.

Corpus Christie officials told KRIS that business owners are free to vacuum the sidewalks or even get a professional to clean it for them  -- but if they break out the water hose, they're breaking the law.