Another watched Industry.

[One Tough Pressure]

Cleaning company settles lawsuit

By Glenn Chapman, STAFF WRITER The Oakland Argus

OAKLAND, CA -- An international specialty cleaning company accused of dumping wastewater in sewers running to Strawberry Creek in Berkeley settled a lawsuit last week by agreeing to pay fines and better monitor discharges.
Burlingame-based Coit Services is to hire an environmental compliance officer within 60 days and keep meticulous records of how its technicians dispose of dirty water accumulated during cleaning of carpets, draperies, upholstery and other items, according to settlement paperwork endorsed Wednesday by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Steven Brick.
Environmental health officers in Alameda and San Mateo counties are to have access to the records, the settlement mandates. Coit also must pay$42,500 in civil penalties.
Coit entered into the settlement the same day Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Susan Torrence filed a lawsuit charging Coit van operators, referred to as technicians, of dumping wastewater in a storm drain near the Foothill Housing Complex on the University of California, Berkeley, campus.
The suit listed four times in May 2002 that university employees noticed foul discharge in Strawberry Creek and tracked the contamination back to hol-ding tanks in the Coit vans.
The van effluence was harmful to fish, plant and bird life, and dumping it in the campus storm drain system may have been an ongoing practice, Torrence wrote in the filing.
Coit interviewed the van technicians after learning of the charges, but the workers claimed no memory of improper dumping, Coit Vice President of Operations Veny Pirochta said. Coit does a lot of work at UC Berkeley and has strict policies regarding wastewater disposal, according to Pirochta.
The contents of those holding tanks would have consisted of dirty water mixed with a mild soap used to clean carpets, he said. "Really, all it is is dirty carpet water," Pirochta said. "There is nothing toxic in there."
Strawberry Creek is used as an outdoor classroom to teach biology to science students.
"We spent a lot of effort and money restocking that creek," said university spokesman Robert Sanders, "Dumping even soap in it is destroying a resource we spent a lot of time restoring."
Discharging chemicals into storm drains is a blanket "a no-no" because of the potential to disrupt biological processes, according to Don Birrer of Bay Area Clean Water Agencies.
"If it goes into the storm drain, then it goes raw into the receiving water," Birrer said. "Whatever creatures that are out there, you are banging them with this stuff."
Coit never confirmed whether anything improper took place, but decided to retrain workers and reinforce policies, Pirochta said.
"We decided to settle it, but also learn from it," Pirochta said of the suit. "As a result, we are taking those in our company to an even better standard."


__________________

[Jon]

I see carpet cleaners daily emptying their tanks after every job right there in the street and watching it flow down to the storm drains.

Why is the carpet cleaning industy not required to reclaim like we are?

Why are we picked on and not them?

Someone needs to talk with Cal/EPA about this injustice.

[One Tough Pressure]

Jon,
Did you not read the story? They got caught dumping and were fined. They also need to hire an Environmental Compliance officer.
Carpet Cleaners are subject to the same rules as we are. Some do not have a big enough recovery tank and discharge on site as they are cleaning, while others do what the story said.
It is a big debate among carpet cleaners as to whether they should have a big tank, discharge on the customers lawn, or run a line to the sewer. They just can not agree on anything.

[Jon]

I saw what you said yes, I was wondering why the EPA does not really go after them as they do us is all.

I know if they are seen dumping they will be fined just like us.

However I could spend all day driving around and calling the local EPA office about carpet cleaners and get nothing done for ME.

They just feel they will never be caught, and in daylight yet.

[One Tough Pressure]

No different than when you see 10 people speeding and no cops, then when you speed, you get a citation. Not enough enforcement, but they are getting more, and the time will come when people will listen.

[Paul B.]

Same reasons why they aren't more aggresive in cracking down on employers of illegal workers.

Low interest in inforecement. They get a Brownie button when they get a big one.

You'd get better results if the enforcers were only paid commission. Motivate, motivate, motivate!!!