Questions on recovery or reclaiming waste water.

[djcs0302]

Hello to all. I have been in business for about a year and a half and just recently went full time 2 months ago. Loving it up until today. I currently have several Wal-Marts that I clean sidewalks for and was told today by one of the managers of one of those stores that I would have to start reclaiming. Well, I jump on the phone to start pricing these reclaim/recovery units. A little PRICEY!!! my question is, what is the most easiest and affordable way to do this? As long as water is not going into the drains, would I be O.K.? Seems to me that if I were to route the water away from the drain, there wouldnt be a problem. Correct me if I am wrong. I have not had to reclaim up until now and just trying to get educated on this matter. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Doug Dahlke]

The easiest and cheapest way is to use a sump pump with some sand bags to pump it to a grassy area on the property or to a sanitary sewer if one is available. You can't just direct it away from drains and let it evaporate. Do a search on Gwinnett County and look at their program. They are leading the way on this in Georgia.

[Tmrrptr]

DJ,

You stated they asked you to reclaim .

That means somewhat more that sump pump it to the bushes.

Seems to me you are on a fast track to learn about vacuums and flocculants.

I REALLY want to learn, myself !

Hope you get some good answers.

Meanwhile, google up newpig.com
r

[FSGBoulder]

I'm in Boulder and the law is quite strict. This morning I cleaned a small patio and have a guy with me running a shop vac. Don't laugh, it works, and it's cheap. Dump it in the mop sink of the restaurant.

If I had my whithers, I'd build a venturri vacuum with a gas powered air compressor and tell those recovery vacuum unit people to jump in my tank. If I continue with sidewalks, I'll probably get around to it and affectionately call it the Sludge Sucker.

I have seen the Steel Eagle and another product, a vac pump with a vac boom as well.

You need to read the code and find out exactly what is allowed. Here you can dump to landscaping if no chemicals are used.

Patricia

[squirtgun]

1st a foremost the water from cleaning a property belongs to the property owner.Once you pump it into a tank on your trailer it becomes hazardous waste.Do you have a waste hauler permit and are you prepared to pick up maybe a 1000 gallons?Leave it on site let them own it like they should.
2nd a closed loops system with flocculants produces grey water.It's usable,but hard on pumps.
3rd according to CWA filtering oil and sediment and allowing water to evaporate or pumping to a sanitary sewer is acceptable and allowable by your water authority.

Gwinette county was sold a false bill of goods by someone trying to run competition out of business and people selling vac systems who sell fear trying to boost their profit margins.

Get a sump pump,oils socks and berms.Reclaim doesn't have to be expensive just effective.

[Tmrrptr]

This is GREAT!

I'd Really like to learn more abt recovery...

Newpig is kinda confusing...
I was unable to figure which was an oil absorbant floculant that would NOT pick up H2o... that maybe, some kinda powder I could dump in a recovery tank, then scoop out and put in dumpster.

Here in CA we can take all the latex paint we got, and dump it on the ground.
Let it dry up, then send it off to the dump as a solid.

But I'm concerned about petroleum products and maybe chems.
even detergent is a chem!
r

[One Tough Pressure]

Originally Posted by djcs0302

Hello to all. I have been in business for about a year and a half and just recently went full time 2 months ago. Loving it up until today. I currently have several Wal-Marts that I clean sidewalks for and was told today by one of the managers of one of those stores that I would have to start reclaiming. Well, I jump on the phone to start pricing these reclaim/recovery units. A little PRICEY!!! my question is, what is the most easiest and affordable way to do this? As long as water is not going into the drains, would I be O.K.? Seems to me that if I were to route the water away from the drain, there wouldnt be a problem. Correct me if I am wrong. I have not had to reclaim up until now and just trying to get educated on this matter. Thanks in advance for your help.

Did you not see the RFP for Walmart where it specifically states that water will not be discharged onsite?

Pricey? Maybe it is time to raise your prices. Recovery as needed is a part of doing business. Like insurance, gas and other expenses, it is there and needs to be addressed.

You need a signature, please update your User Cp in the upper left hand corner.

[squirtgun]

The Walmart RFP that will fall by the way side inside of 6 months?
When the EPA turns them loose it'll be business as usual.
Properties build in the last 20yrs should be up to EPA standards that allow for onsite discharge.

[Ron Musgraves]

Originally Posted by Doug Dahlke

The easiest and cheapest way is to use a sump pump with some sand bags to pump it to a grassy area on the property or to a sanitary sewer if one is available. You can't just direct it away from drains and let it evaporate. Do a search on Gwinnett County and look at their program. They are leading the way on this in Georgia.

Your state has the worst sanitary over flow in the country. I'm not certain thats good advice to dump in a sanitary sewer? I would check with the water dept for sure.

If they are recomending you pump there i understand why you have the worst overflow.

[Ron Musgraves]

Originally Posted by squirtgun

The Walmart RFP that will fall by the way side inside of 6 months?
When the EPA turns them loose it'll be business as usual.
Properties build in the last 20yrs should be up to EPA standards that allow for onsite discharge.

Just a two small corrections, Only citys that are maniditory by population size. Smaller citys are where given more time to comply. 96 was the CWA deadline. larger citys where 88 .... your are correct most have been in complience since 1984.

Everyone thinks this is some new thing. its old and just has taken forever for america and corporations to have concerns.

Walmart being the giant, Scotts statement holds true for them in most cases except where they treid to cheat by not installing the proper reclaimation wells.

This property they may have cheated on and know it.

I believe the propertys in law suit are under construction now and being fixed. ( that was told to me by brass)

[Ron Musgraves]

Recovery as needed is a part of doing business.

That statement is false, you can choose to clean CWA built property's only.

You still are required to have all permits for discharge if you state ,county or city requires them. Arizona does require permit and reclaimation and has enforcement people out everyday.

Alan, how many stops by epa enforcement have you had? I have been check countless times and have never gotten a voilation for anything.

[Doug Dahlke]

Ron,

Please explain what a CWA compliant property is and how you can tell that's what you are cleaning. Yes Georgia or maybe I should say Atlanta has big overflow problems but discharging to sanitary sewer was the preferred option stated in the Gwinnett County plan. No mention of any CWA compliant properties is in the document.

[One Tough Pressure]

Originally Posted by Ron Musgraves

That statement is false, you can choose to clean CWA built property's only.

Okay Ron, if you choose to clean only places that are built right, then it would be false. 99% of everything around here is NOT built to what you are describing. Flow to the Arroyo is very common here.

Originally Posted by Ron Musgraves

You still are required to have all permits for discharge if you state ,county or city requires them. Arizona does require permit and reclaimation and has enforcement people out everyday.

Alan, how many stops by epa enforcement have you had? I have been check countless times and have never gotten a voilation for anything.

I have not encountered anybody that has actually stopped. Many official trucks have gone by and driven slow, but no contact. I am either okay or they are lazy.

[Ron Musgraves]

Alan, I didn’t mean to bust your balls.
I have two restaurant groups out of cali that wont build here any outside water hook ups.

I realize that you have a lot of properties that are old and don’t meet the CWA compliance.
Doug, I hope you understand the dry wells better and know how to look for them. If you run a search on dry wells on PWI you will find what you’re looking for. Pretreatment would be another good search.

[One Tough Pressure]

Originally Posted by Ron Musgraves

Alan, I didn’t mean to bust your balls.
I have two restaurant groups out of cali that wont build here any outside water hook ups.

I realize that you have a lot of properties that are old and don’t meet the CWA compliance.

Even the new properties have outside water. How else would the dishwahser hose the drive thru every morning? Some are built better than others, but still lack a real plan.

The joy to see a single drain in the corner where it can all go and be stopped and collected, only to find out that the water does not flow that direction, but out to the street which is sloped both ways and a strom drain on each side. Oh, the joy of playing in the water.