Power Washing & Risk Management
Facilities need to be cleaned regularly for cosmetic reasons, as well as for safety and liability concerns. Prior to resealing a surface, areas also need to be prepped, so a new seal will bond correctly, adding years to its useful life. Also, automotive fluids and salts need to be removed from concrete to prevent corrosion and expensive repair costs.
Pressure washers are powerful cleaning machines that utilize hot or cold water under high pressure for cleaning parking structures, sidewalks, stairs, walkways, and entrances. Pressure washers are also the most effective and cost effective method for removing oil, grease, gum, salts, tire marks, and dirt from driveways and parking lots. The Problem:
The wastewater pressure washers generate contains everything they are removing from the surface being cleaned. The most common method for disposing of this wastewater is to simply hose it down the nearest storm drain, which leads to our nearest creek or river.
One quart of used motor oil contaminates 250,000 gallons of fresh water! Pressure washers generate approximately 10K-20K gallons of wastewater for every 100,000-150,000 square feet of surface being cleaned. Used motor oil contains lead, copper, cadmium and chromium, all toxic to humans and wildlife. Many pressure washing businesses also incorporate toxic agents with their service, such as Muriatic Acid and de-greasers.
It’s very important for facility managers to diligently instruct service providers not to discharge wastewater from their facility into the storm drain. Forty percent of water pollution is from automotive fluids washing off paved surfaces from normal rainfall and from cleaning activities.
Why Should Property Managers be Concerned?
The clean water act “is the principle law governing pollution control and water quality of the U.S. waterways.” The objective of the act is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.
The part of the act that facility managers and property managers should give serious consideration and risk assessment to is the penalty section. In March, 2004, the clean Water Act administration increase penalties to $32,500 for Class 1 penalties and $157,000 for Class 2 penalties. The maximum penalty per violation remains at $11,000 per day (www.epa.gov).
Among discharges prohibited to storm drains is a power (pressure) washer that cleans such things as equipment, a restaurant’s solid waste storage areas, or a parking lot and discharges the process water into a storm drain.
If the wastewater generated contains any significant levels of oil, grease and metals, the wastewater must be pretreated prior to discharging to the onsite sewer or it must be hauled by a licensed water hauler.
Fines for failing to meet EPA compliance can be as high as $50,000 for the company providing pressure washing, and for the owner of the property. Using certified EPA compliant pressure washing services is better than having your company’s name in the news for polluting local waterways and damaging the environment!
