Reclamation
Unlimited Power Washing utilizes an innovative and practical waste water capture system to prevent run-off from washing operations both indoors and outdoors. This system allows us to use all of our own water throughout the cleaning process with a very low percentage of waste that would ordinarily need to be discarded. This system helps reduce overall costs, keep water usage and waste to a minimum for us, our customers and the environment.
The system starts with the Vacu-Boom system. This system is engineered to be used in a wide variety of industrial and commercial applications where chemicals and fluid waste must be contained and/or captured and removed from the site.
The Vacu-Boom system tightly seals itself to the surface like a giant suction cup, to form an impervious liquid barrier. Simultaneously, the waste water or other liquid is extracted into the boom and travels with the airflow through the boom and vacuum hose into the sump of the vacuum unit. The vacuum unit is equipped with an automatic pump out system which discharges water through a discharge hose into a holding tank, and then is forwarded into the next cleaning process.
The water is then sent into the Water Maze Compact CoAg System. This system is an advanced chemical treatment system that utilizes the method of adding a chemical coagulant and polymer to the treatment process of the waste water, to efficiently remove suspended solids and emulsified oils from the waste stream.
After going thru the CoAg system the water is then sent into The Water Maze Indexing Polishing Filter (IPF). The IPF is a post treatment system that employs various micron size media paper to filter out and remove particulates that are in the water.
After going thru the IPF system, the water is then sent into a Reverse Osmosis or RO system. The RO system is a filtration process that is used to produce spot-free rinse water. After the water exits the RO system, it is then pumped into our water storage tanks on the truck. This completes the Closed Loop cleaning process of the water. The water is now ready to be reused in the cleaning process again or to be used as rinse water for the final phase of the cleaning process. The solids that are left over will be taken back to our location to be disposed of.
Wash, Reclaim, Recycle
The Clean Water Act (CWA)
The clean water act “is the principle law governing pollution control and water quality of the waterways.” The objective of the act is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters. [url=http://www.epa.gov/waterrain/cwa]CWA[url] Section 301 of the clean water act (CWA) prohibits a point source discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States without an NPDES permit. To legally discharge wash water, a pressure wash operator permit must obtain an NPDES permit for each discharge location. Due to fact that many pressure washer operators are mobile, it is not realistic to pre-determine discharge locations and obtain permits for each location.
The only method of compliance with the CWA is to prevent wastewater discharged to the waters of the United States. If your discharge does not reach waters of the United States, then there are no requirements under the CWA. Examples of compliance without a discharge are vacuuming up the wastewater or berming the wastewater and allowing it to evaporate. An additional method of compliance is to discharge the water into a permitted sanitary sewer system. The most common of non compliance is to discharge the wastewater into a storm sewer system or into a city street that drains to storm water inlet. Most storm drainage systems discharge directly to waters of the United States without treatment, which means anything that discharges into a storm drain is the same as putting it directly into the body of water receiving the storm drain discharge.
What does this mean to you as the fleet manager/property owner?
You are responsible for the actions and reclaiming procedures of your mobile pressure washing contractor. March, 2004, the CWA administration raised the penalty for class 1 penalties to over $30,000 and class 2 to over $150,000. Violations to the CWA can cost up to $10,000 a day for each day of illegal operation. Make sure you use extreme caution when choosing/hiring your mobile pressure washing contractor, and make sure they comply with EPA standards.