http://www.happychild.org.uk/fr/ideas/gen/carwash/cwgchap02.

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HISTORY
Well it all started many years ago when Congress passed the Federal Clean Water Act in
1972. This was in response to major pollution issues involving polluting the nation`s
waterways from factories, strip mining and sewage treatment plants or lack thereof. It was
actually quite a problem. It was an ecosystem disaster causing disease and death to wildlife
and some people. When it was discovered just how bad the problem really was, the federal
government empowered the states to take care of the issues within their state. The states
enacted state laws to help fix the problem. Meanwhile, the federal government tightened
standards forcing states to tighten their standards or be in violation. With the threat of
withholding federal monies to the states, the states continued to make more and more laws.
Industry obviously wasn`t happy and even government agencies were unable to comply
with the laws they made. So, target dates were enacted to give time for everyone to comply.
Overnight environmental consulting firms sprung up along with a whole new industry of
environmental equipment and product manufactures, many of whom weren`t even in
compliance themselves. Of course, all good things take time and cleaning up our water is
obviously a good thing.
The State of California divided the state into five different regions realizing that each
region had different pollution problems based on industry types, demography and
population in the areas. These regions were called Regional Water Quality Control
Districts` (RWQCD). These were all controlled by the State Board that was defined by the
Federal Clean Water Act as the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). Once the
problem was broken down into smaller pieces things started to change for the better.
The SWRCB was formed in California and is commonly called The State Board`. The
State Board regulates Water Quality Control which is any activity or factor that might
affect the quality of waters of the state and includes the prevention and correction of water
pollution and nuisance. This sounds very encompassing and the State Board has a lot of
power. Luckily, with the combined efforts of industry, government and the people, they
now understand the issues enough to make intelligent decisions and they fully understand
that your organization needs to earn money. Thus, rather than prevent and outlaw
activities, everyone is working on solutions and procedures to allow responsible discharges
creating a win-win situation for everyone.
Recently, the State Water Quality Control Boards asked the counties to submit for
approval and receive permits to discharge the same waters they`ve been discharging for
years. These permits were called NPDES permits. This stands for National Pollution
Discharge Elimination System. Most counties assigned an existing department to work on
this permit. More likely than not, it is the county`s Flood Control Department.
Unfortunately, this part of the county deals with permits for land development, bridges,
infrastructures, etc. Until now, they knew very little about pollution. Some counties turned
this responsibility over to the Environmental Health Services Department who in turn
worked with the Flood Control Department which controls storm drains. The NPDES
permits are approved by the state for local county urban runoff discharges. Each city in
each county through municipal codes is supposed to pass ordinances and come up with a
plan for controlling their local runoff/pollution. The county remains responsible to the state
and the states to the Federal Government. The NPDES requirements are an offspring of
the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency even though they are enforced, permitted and
regulated locally by cities, counties and states.
The actual law that is used to enforce these statutes can be found in 13.260 - 13.265 of the
California Water Code. At one point it actually reads:
"No person, or persons may discharge water to any waterways without permission or a
permit from a state regional water quality control board."
This sounds pretty absolute doesn't it. It is against the law for you to take a glass of water
from your sink, walk over to a storm drain and pour the water in the drain. This in itself
would obviously not hurt the environment, but by granting absolute power the Regional
Water Quality Control Boards can look at everything on a case by case basis. So do be
serious about your water after you wash those cars.
OSTORM WATER DISCHARGE
City, county and state governments know that car washing has always been a favorite
fundraiser for sports teams, scout troops, schools and other non-profit groups. Due to the
low capital investment costs, car wash fundraisers can generate significant amounts of
profit. For the last ten years government agencies especially in California have been
working with industry to come up with solutions to clean up our water. Today the
waterways of America are significantly cleaner than they were in the past even though
many regions are more heavily populated. It`s been working great. Now we are going one
step further. No pollution from any source, even mobile dog groomers. Only in the last few
years have government agencies decided that the adverse environmental impact is too great
to allow car wash fundraisers. Along with strong lobbying from fixed site car wash owners,
some cities and counties have actually outlawed these fundraisers unless certain procedures
are followed to insure that no waste wash water enters storm drains, ditches or waterways.
Their reasoning is this: Dirty water containing soaps and detergents, residues from
exhaust fumes, gasoline and motor oils is washed off of the cars and flows into nearby
storm drains. Unlike the water we use in our homes and businesses that goes down the
drain and is treated at sewer treatment plants, water that goes into storm drains flows
directly into rivers, bays, oceans and lakes without any kind of treatment. Obviously one
car wash fundraiser by itself will create little if any adverse environmental impact. But
government agencies know that collectively car wash fundraisers contribute significant
pollution. They also realize that biodegradable soaps do not lessen the impact. This is
because biodegradable only means that the soap will degrade over time. So does plutonium,
it just takes longer. Soaps and car wash products are still toxic to aquatic life even if they
are biodegradable.
No matter how you feel about the government`s philosophy on car wash fundraisers, we
suggest that you follow some of the following Best Management Practices (BMP`s)
especially if your city or county regulates such discharges. They might not and a little soap
is actually good for the environment. I suggest you use a coconut based soap or citrus based
soap. You might even try Liquid Organic Cleaner (L.O.C.) from Amway. It doesn`t form a
lot of suds but it works great and won`t hurt the environment or the fish if a little run off
(car wash waste water effluent) finds its way into a storm drain. If you are in a city or
county that regulates discharges from car wash fundraisers, such as Los Angeles or San
Francisco, you are going to have to follow the rules.
We suggest that you use the following methods to contain your waste wash water and
prevent the effluent from entering near by storm drains or waterways. We call these
methods "Best Management Practices" or "BMP`s". Your goal should be not to let any
water containing soap to enter any storm drain. With this goal in mind, you should proceed
and have a great fundraiser and earn those much needed monies that your organization
deserves.
BMP #1: Block off the storm drain. Try to wash the cars at the highest point, hopefully a flat surface area.
At the end of the day after most of the water has evaporated, pump the remaining the water into a sanitary
sewer drain. If you are at a gas station, they might have a dump for R.V. toilets. A clarifier is also good.
Maybe a restroom toilet. On a sunny day most of the water will evaporate. If no one in your group owns a
water pump ask the local wastewater authorities if you may borrow a pump for your event. Or vacuum up
the water with a shop vacuum.
BMP #2: Select a site where the cars can be driven onto grass or gravel before washing. This way soapy
water can filter through vegetation and soil before entering ground water or running off into the drainage
ditch or storm drain.
BMP #3: Have a great car wash but don`t use any soap.
BMP #4: Block off the storm drains and pump left over waste water onto the grass or into the planters
thereby water the landscaping. Let most of the water evaporate before pumping so you don`t overflow the
planters.
BMP #5: Pick a location where water runs off into a field or landscape directly after the pavement ends.
OSO WHAT`S IN THE WATER THAT MAKES IT SO BAD ANYWAYS?
Well, first of all, we have chlorine in our tap water. There is also magnesium and calcium.
And that`s before you even wash one car. If you spray the hose in the air that`s what`s in
the water before it hits the ground. Due to the calcium and magnesium in the water in
California, especially Southern California, it is necessary to soften our water. The chlorine
and fluoride that we add to our water doesn`t help any either. Hard water spots are a
major problem. 1ust park your car next to your sprinklers at home and you will see exactly
what we are talking about. If your car is a dark color and you park it in the sun, the hard
water spots will etch themselves into your clear coat and cause permanent damage to your
paint job. The chemicals bake into the paint.
The desert cities such as Lancaster, Palm Springs, etc. have a major problem with this. You
see, when it`s 115 F in the shade, the cars dry in three minutes. Luckily, multiple dryers
can dry a car in two minutes. A crew of two can stay on top of it by drying most cars in one
to one and one-half minutes. The main problem is soaping. The soap dries before you can
rinse it off and the water evaporates out of the soap bucket every fifth car. The sprayer has
to follow the soaper around the car which is good because, by the time they are done,
they`re hot. They can take turns spraying each other off.
If you have ever taken any chemistry classes, you know that just about everything is water
soluble eventually. Water can combine with almost anything and make some pretty weird
compounds, none of which are particularly good for the environment.
What is considered hard water and what are the degrees of hardness? You can use this
table to get an idea of what we are talking about:
TERM DEGREE
OF HARDNESS
GRAINS PER
GALLON
PARTS PER
MILLION
Very Hard 10.5 and Above 180 and Above
Hard 7.0 to 10.5 120 to 180
Moderately
Hard
3.5 to 7.0 60 to 120
Slightly Hard 1.0 to 3.5 17.1 to 60
Soft Less than 1.0 Less than 17.1
The hardness in water is caused by calcium and magnesium ions that form insoluble
compounds. Also you can find iron and even traces of aluminum in our water. Our water is
some of the clearest and cleanest in the world. It comes from the DWP (Department of
Water and Power) and the MWD (Metropolitan Water District). Actually it doesn`t really
come from there. It starts out as rain, drains to lakes and rivers and is brought to the
people by canals, pipes and pumping stations.
So that is exactly what`s in the water before the wash. Now here is what may be in the
water after the car wash. 6-22 mg/l of oil and grease. Usually this doesn`t come off the car.
This is what is on the ground already that the water washes away. Yuk! How would you
like to drink that in your bottled water. There are also suspended solids (TSS) with
concentrations of 35-151 mg/l. Most of that is dirt, yet we can never know where each car
has been and what`s in that dirt (i.e. bird droppings). There will also be foaming agents
(soap) with concentrations of 0.3-1.41 mg/l which is very low. Yet I wouldn`t want to drink
it or use it to make ice cubes. There probably isn`t but there could also be toluene,
ethylbenzene and benzene. These are wicked ingredients that you definitely don`t want
floating around in your puppy`s water bowl or your wife`s cappuccino. All other run off
from car washes meets the drinking water standards and is certainly not going to adversely
affect wild life or kill any ocean going fish.
The Regional Water Quality Control Board is not the only governing body concerned with
water discharges. The Coastal Commission is also very concerned as well as the
Department of Fish and Game. Both agencies have authority to issue civil penalties for
water pollution.
For more information on water quality you can contact
California Department of Fish and Game
Marine Resources Division
330 Golden Shore, Suite 50
Long Beach, CA 90802
FAX (310) 590-5193
Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board
101 Centre Plaza Drive
Monterey Park, CA 91754
Phone (213) 266-7500
PS Enterprises `
1315 3rd Street Promenade, Suite 403
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone (310) 393-3703
FAX (310) 393-7012
` They manage the City of Los Angeles storm
water discharge and have additional material
and can serve as an educational resource.
OCAR WASH PRODUCTS
How do I know if the products I`m using are safe for the environment?
That`s a good question. The answer is they aren`t and no product is allowed in the storm
drain. So your next question is, "If I use the waste wash water to water the grass in front of
the school or a flower bed near a gas station, how do I know if it will kill the grass or
plants?"
This question we can answer. Every product has a Material Safety And Data Sheet
(MSDS). Read through the sheet and see if the diamond at the top of the sheet has a
number higher than one in the box on the left. If it does, it will affect organic life. Look for
products that have only ones or zeroes in the boxes in the diamond code at the top.
Material Safety and Data Sheets (MSDS sheets) contain nine sections. These sections are:
O I. GeneraI Information
O II. Ingredients
O III. PhysicaI Data
O IV. Fire and ExpIosion Hazard Data
O V. HeaIth Hazard Information
O VI. Reactivity Data
O VII. SpiII, Leak and DisposaI Procedures
O VIII. SpeciaI HandIing Information
O IX. User's ResponsibiIity
At the top of each sheet is a square on end. It looks like a diamond shape. It is broken into
four squares inside this diamond shape. The squares mean:
O Top Square (Fire)
O Left Square (Toxic)
O Right Square (Reaction)
O ottom Square (SpeciaI)
In each square there is a number from zero to four. The numbers equal:
O Four = Extreme
O Three = High
O Two = Moderate
O One = SIight
O ero = Insignificant
This indicates how safe or volatile the product is. It also gives you an indication of whether
the fumes are dangerous, if it is flammable, if it will react adversely with other chemicals or
if it is radioactive or biologically unsafe.
Section I, the general information section, contains information such as:
O ho prepared the MSDS Sheet
O The product's trade name and type of chemicaI
O hich chemicaI famiIy the product beIongs to
O asic formuIa
O Name and address of manufacturer
O DOT shipping cIassification
O DOT Hazard cIassification
Section II contains ingredients. Generally only hazardous ingredients will be listed. It will
normally be in chart form:
O Name of component
O AS number
O Percentage of hazardous chemicaIs
O oncentration in parts per miIIion
Section III contains physical data, things that you probably learned in chemistry class:
O oiIing point
O Vapor pressure
O Vapor density
O SoIubiIity in water
O Odor
O Appearance and coIor
O Gravity in terms of water
O Percentage which is or couId be voIatiIe
O Reactivity, if any, in water
O Ph LeveI
Section IV contains fire and explosion data such as:
O FIash point
O hat wiII extinguish it if it catches fire
O FIammabIe Iimits
O Any speciaI fire fighting procedures
O Any unusuaI hazards regarding fire and expIosion
Section V contains health hazard information and what happens when:
O Product vapor is inhaIed
O Product comes in contact with skin, eyes, etc.
O Product is swaIIowed
It tells you what symptoms to expect and what should be done including any first aid or
emergency procedures.
Section VI contains information regarding the product`s reactivity with other elements and
common compounds. It discusses conditions to avoid, the product`s stability or instability
and its decomposition.
Section VII contains information regarding spill response procedures including any special
state, federal or local laws to be met.
Section VIII contains information regarding special handling. It is basically a catch-all
section for anything not covered by other sections. Items such as:
O Respiratory Protection
O Eye Protection
O GIoves
O VentiIation
O Engineering ontroIs
are not uncommon in this section. Sometimes you will find equipment discussed here.
Special equipment that the manufacturer recommends for CYA purposes in case
something goes wrong.
Section IX contains information regarding the user`s responsibility. It is a disclaimer
section that manufacturers generally use to avoid lawsuits. Usually they pass the buck by
saying people using this product should maintain a safe work place at all times and have in
written form a safety manual for employees, workers and independent contractors.
Following all these sections is a blown out of proportion disclaimer usually written in plain
English by an attorney releasing the product manufacturer from any responsibility what so
ever and further more disavows the manufacturers from any mistakes in the MSDS sheet
therein.
If all this sounds too complicated, go find some coconut soap, citrus cleaner or Liquid
Organic Cleaner (L.O.C.) from Amway and use those. You can actually drink them if you
had to and still wake up the next morning. You might get the runs but they definitely won`t
kill you. As a matter of fact, I`ve seen nice bright green spots in the grass where we`ve
discharged our waste wash water.
OWATER CONSERVATION
Now that we will have cleaner waste water run off from our car wash fundraiser, we need
to look at ways to conserve the water we use.
If you wash your car in your driveway with a garden hose and shut-off nozzle, you will use
five gallons of water to fill your soap bucket to get suds. You will then wet down your car
for two minutes or more, soap your car and then rinse the car for four minutes or more. If
the garden hose has 60 PSI of pressure or more it puts out a minimum of ten gallons of
water per minute (GPM). The total amount of water usage is as follows:
5 Gallons in the bucket
20 Gallons to wet the car 10 GPM
+ 40 Gallons to rinse the car 10 GPM
65 Gallons of water
This would be a very water conscious person in good shape who can move briskly around
the car. This person would have at least sixty gallons moving down the gutter into the
storm drain.
USING A PRESSURE WASHER VERSUS A GARDEN HOSE
If you use a pressure washer during your fundraiser you can wash twenty cars with one
capful of soap in a two-thirds filled five gallon water bucket. Of course your soap will be
biodegradable. At least twenty-five percent of the cars you wash will not require the use of
soap due to previous wax coats that have been applied. These cars combine to lower your
wet/rinse cycle to about thirty seconds of spray time or 1.2 gallons of water per car. This is
fifty times more efficient. You can wash fifty cars with a pressure washer to the one car
washed with a garden hose in the driveway. This constitutes a significant saving in water.
If you spray a car with special equipment (pressure washer) you will get a fine mist spray.
The water can be applied evenly and gives the run off a spread effect. Thus the water that
reaches the ground evaporates quickly. A car that needs to be soaped will have a wet/rinse
cycle of about one minute and will use about two gallons of water. This water never reaches
the storm drains.
You can also contract with a local professional mobile car washer or car detailer to help
your group. They only use 2.4 gallons of water per car and their pressure washers only put
out 2.4 GPM. If they spray a car for twenty seconds to get it wet, then soap off the dirt and
then rinse the car for approximately forty seconds this equals sixty seconds or one minute
of sprayed water at 2.4 gallons per minute.
Working with a local professional can be very efficient. You can also purchase a pressure
washer from a large department store and do it yourself. By the time you`ve washed 150-
300 cars at a fundraiser you too will become very efficient with the water. Look for a
pressure washer that puts out 1,500 PSI (pounds per square inch). Gasoline driven units
are best, but electric units are about one-half the cost. Remember, if you plan on buying an
electric unit make sure that you have an outlet near your designated wash area. Expect to
pay $300 for a good electric unit and $500 to $800 for a decent gas unit.
You may also be able to borrow a pressure washer from a local painting contractor. They
use them a lot to clean the exterior of homes and commercial buildings before painting. See
if someone in your group has a parent who is a painter. Maybe they will volunteer to act as
a sprayer during your fundraiser since they have experience using this type of equipment.
If you will be using a straight garden hose remember that fundraisers generally use
approximately 3,600 gallons of water; 360 minutes 10 GPM. So use shut-off nozzles or
kink the hose when you`re not spraying. If you use a pressure washer you will cut your
wash time in half thus allowing you time to do twice the number of cars and earn more
money. You will also have a lot less water to worry about that might be going into the
storm drain.
At one fundraiser using a pressure washer, we washed 520 cars with 950 gallons of water in
six hours. Approximately 150 cars with 3,600 gallons of water is generally the maximum
amount of cars washed at this type of function using conventional methods. At this
particular fundraiser we washed three and one-half times as many cars with one-third the
water. We saved the City of Thousand Oaks, California 2,650 gallons of water that day and
made the kids a substantial amount of money.
Fixed site car washes also conserve their water. That is why they are allowed to stay in
business during a water shortage. They use seventy gallons of water per car during their
complete car wash cycle. Four gallons of water is used during the pre-wash cycle. Sixty-six
gallons of water is used during the soap/rinse cycle. Nearly two-thirds of the soap/rinse
cycle water can be recycled. These approximately forty-four gallons of water are captured
in a 10,000 gallon storage tank where they are used over again for car washes for the next
three days. This dirty water is mixed with white sudsy soap and used during the car wash
soap cycle. The average fixed site car wash uses four gallons (pre-wash) plus twenty-two
gallons (sixty-six divided by two-thirds that is recycled) in the soap/rinse cycle bringing the
total to twenty-six gallons of water per car. In the car washing industry this constitutes
extreme efficiency.
If you are extremely careful with your water usage during your fundraiser, you can beat
even the best recycling car wash which still uses around fifteen gallons of water per car.
And some self-serve car washes claim they use as little as 6.2 gallons of water per car.
Remember the techniques discussed in this book:
O Iock Off Storm Drains
O UtiIize Efficient Equipment
O Use io-DegradabIe/Non-Hazardous Soaps
O Remove Trash From ash Area hen Finished
"If we all do a little, it will help a lot."
For more information on water conservation, please feel free to contact the public relations
department of:
Metropolitan Water District
P.O. Box 54153
Los Angeles, CA 90054-0153
Cal Fed Program
8:00am - 5:00pm (916) 657-2666
Hotline (916) 654-9924
http://calfed.ca.gov
Department of Water and Power (DWP)
Energy, Efficiency and Conservation Hotline
(800) 827-5397