Wastewater From Vehicle Maintenance Facilities

1
Wastewater From Vehicle Maintenance Facilities

• Vehicle and Floor Washwater
• Wastewater contains soaps, grease, oil, possibly
  solvents, fuel and antifreeze.
• Floor Drains
• Some drains empty to the city sewer
• Some drains empty to the storm sewer
• Some drains empty to a ditch or other outdoor
  location

2
Wastewater From Vehicle Maintenance Facilities

• City Sewer/Sanitary Sewer
• Empties to a municipal wastewater treatment plant
• Treated, tested and discharged to a body of
  water
• Storm Drain
• Empties to a ditch, nearby stream or other body
  of water gtgtgtgtgtgtgtUntreated !!!

3
Wastewater From Vehicle Maintenance Facilities

• Septic System and Drain Fields
• On-site septic tank systems for domestic waste
  only
• Not designed to treat industrial waste
• Empties to drain field, leach bed and eventually
  to surface/ground water
• Efficiency of waste treatment variable.

4
Wastewater Disposal

• Best option is to discharge to the city sewer.
• Industrial discharges should be approved by the
  local wastewater treatment plant authority.
• Check for prohibitions on discharges
• Remove solids and oils before discharge.
• Sump in the floor drain -- solids settle, oil
  floats

5
Wastewater Disposal

• Oil skimmed off -- put into the used oil drum.
• Settled solids called sump sludge or floor drain
  sludge.
• Possibly contaminated with oil, lubricants,
  antifreeze, fuel, cleaners, and solvents.
• Never discharge industrial wastewater (even
  vehicle washwater) to storm drains or directly
  outdoors.

6
Wastewater Disposal

• May contaminate surface water and groundwater.
• Is a violation of federal and state law.
• Do not discharge industrial wastewater to a
  septic system.
• Septic systems are designed for domestic sewage
  only

7
Wastewater Disposal

• Industrial discharges may kill necessary bacteria
  in the septic tank and/or cause overloading.
• Never discharge hazardous waste to a septic
  system.
• This is illegal disposal and could result in
  expensive groundwater contamination and liability
  problems.

8
Wastewater Pollution Prevention

• Replace hazardous cleaners with mild soaps to
  clean floors and vehicles.
• Read product MSDS prior to purchasing to
  eliminate corrosive or toxic cleaners.
• Stop drips and spills from reaching the floor -
  use drip pans and good housekeeping.
• Clean spills immediately, using a dedicated mop
  and bucket or launderable rags

9
Wastewater Pollution Prevention

• Never clean spills by hosing them down with
  water.
• Do work in areas without floor drains, or seal
  drains temporarily during work.
• Seal drains permanently to prevent spills from
  contaminating wastewater.
• Store hazardous wastes and hazardous materials
  away from drains or seal drains.

10
Water Conservation

• Save water in vehicle cleaning by
• Dry floor cleaning methods -- sweeping and
  vacuuming.
• Using water efficiently
• Shut faucets off when not using the water.
• Install pressure-increasing, water-saving devices
  on faucets.
• Collect water in a holding tank and reuse it for
  preliminary cleaning.

11
Floor Drain Sludge Management

• Sludge may contain -- dirt, oil, gas, solvents,
  antifreeze etc..
• Sludge is potentially hazardous and must be
  laboratory tested.
• Do not spread sump sludge directly on the ground
  (landspreading)
• May cause surface and groundwater pollution
• Testing monitoring required to landspread

12
Floor Drain Sludge Management

• Hazardous sludge must be disposed of by a
  hazardous waste management company.
• Nonhazardous sludge can be managed in one of the
  following ways
• Send dried sludge to a landfill with proper
  permits (in Iowa - SWA)
• Disposed of by a sump cleaning company.

13
Floor Drain Sludge Pollution Prevention

• Same steps as Pollution Prevention for
  Wastewater!!
• Use only mild soaps for floors and vehicles.
• Read product MSDS - dont buy corrosive or toxic
  cleaners.
• Use drip pans and good housekeeping.
• Clean spills immediately
• with reusable materials

14
Floor Drain Sludge Pollution Prevention

• Never clean spills by hosing them down with
  water.
• Do work in areas without floor drains, or seal
  drains temporarily during work.
• Seal drains permanently to prevent spills from
  contaminating wastewater.
• Store hazardous wastes and hazardous materials
  away from drains or seal drains.