Weather/Disaster Clemson, SC Water Restrictions

[AllAmerican]

They did the same thing in Georgia. It's kind of a nightmare. You can pressure clean in some cities/counties around Atlanta, but not in others. We've been dealing with this for a while. It's a royal pain in the butt!

They didn't want to put people out of work, but they did a pretty good job of it. My business was cut in half at least. Yet they still release 1/2 billion, that's right, 1/2 BILLION gallons a day down stream from Lake Lanier for the lousy mussels.

Get used to it. It's your government at work. And everybody wants government health care.......

The general rules in Georgia are:

1) Homeowners are not allowed to do any pressure cleaning. Only certified, licensed, professional companies.

2) You can pressure clean if it is for sanitary/health reasons, not beautification purposes. So....by taking the mold off a house or commercial property, your not there to beautify it, your there for health reasons. The customer has/could have asthma. It's all in how you word it. It's really stupid.

They'll probably come up with the same general rules in your area. Just start calling your local water provider for the county your to work in to see what their rules are.

Good luck in figuring this all out. It'll take a while, but it will all calm down after a bit. Last year, we were all like "Holy Cow, what are we going to do", but this year it's no big deal.

[cparker]

I was wondering if the restrictions would apply if you could show them that you can recapture, recycle and reuse your washwater.

Outdoor surfaces need to be kept clean for sanitation and health reasons. Also, if high traffic areas, dumpster/grease bin areas,drive thru lanes are not washed, people slip and fall, which is a liability issue. Try and get support from the Public Health and Safety Department, your commercial clients and their insurance companies.

And, of course, these decision makers are not thinking about what will happen when it finally does rain. All the built up contaminants will wash off into the storm drains, straight to the waterways. One quart of used motor oil contaminates 250,000 gallons of fresh water.

[Beth n Rod]

As new information, news, articles, reports etc become available, please post them here. We created this forum to serve all members that might be affected by various weather or disasters. Thanks!

Beth

[newlook]

Originally Posted by AllAmerican

They did the same thing in Georgia. It's kind of a nightmare. You can pressure clean in some cities/counties around Atlanta, but not in others. We've been dealing with this for a while. It's a royal pain in the butt!

They didn't want to put people out of work, but they did a pretty good job of it. My business was cut in half at least. Yet they still release 1/2 billion, that's right, 1/2 BILLION gallons a day down stream from Lake Lanier for the lousy mussels.

Get used to it. It's your government at work. And everybody wants government health care.......

The general rules in Georgia are:

1) Homeowners are not allowed to do any pressure cleaning. Only certified, licensed, professional companies.

2) You can pressure clean if it is for sanitary/health reasons, not beautification purposes. So....by taking the mold off a house or commercial property, your not there to beautify it, your there for health reasons. The customer has/could have asthma. It's all in how you word it. It's really stupid.

They'll probably come up with the same general rules in your area. Just start calling your local water provider for the county your to work in to see what their rules are.

Good luck in figuring this all out. It'll take a while, but it will all calm down after a bit. Last year, we were all like "Holy Cow, what are we going to do", but this year it's no big deal.

The Governor of Georgia signed into law House Bill 1281 back in May of this year. The law pretty much says that counties and cities CANNOT impose stricter water restrictions that have been set forth by the state.

If you as a washer are being told that you cannot wash in one city and allowed to wash in another then essentially the city/county is not following the spirit of the law under House Bill 1281.

Here is an excerpt of HB 1281 from the RFW website ....

Updated July 7, 2008

03/19/08 - HB1281 passed the Senate and now goes before the Governor to be inacted into law. Part the bill reads:

05/14/08 - HB1281 Signed by the Governor of GA

"No political subdivision of this state or local government authority shall impose more stringent restrictions on outdoor water use during periods of drought than those applicable restrictions, if any, imposed by the state unless approved by the director of the Environmental Protection Division of the department."

Pressure Washers for more information about watering capabilities your area, contact your local water provider. If they tell you that you cannot wash in their city please advise them of HB1281 that was signed into law by the Governor. For more information on water conservation and outdoor water use, please go to Conserve Water Georgia!

[PWNC]

Going back to the issue of this thread - you guys in SC that are experiencing the restrictions, please feel free to direct any media contacts or "open minded government officials" to the PWNC site (PWNC Pressure washing companies contractors North South Carolina PWNC) to view some of last years results. There is also the PWNC blog where we addressed the Lt. Governor of NC ( Pressure Washing Companies in NC & SC). Also, I will be providing downloadable documents on the PWNC site for your use.

Feel free to contact us at 336-516-2242

Celeste

[We Wash Concrete]

I spoke with Anderson City Council Member Don Chapman yesterday. He said that he would be against any kind of water restrictions that was passed in Clemson. Being a builder, he understands how this would hurt our business. I'm sure he'll do his best to keep this from happening in Anderson.

I also emailed one of the TV reporters who covered the story on TV. The piece covered the good things that the restriction would bring, but failed to show the negative impact of it. I don't think this was done on purpose. I don't think the City Council really realized the negative impact that it would have on local businesses. If the TV station would show that side, it may help our situation.

I also pointed out, that maybe a better solution would be to allow contractors who have a city business permit to operate. This would help in conserving water, while increaseing the citys revenue.

On the flip side, If the citys, or countys, we work in do not allow us to operate, should we be asking for a refund of our business license?

[We Wash Concrete]

News 4 will be running a segment on this today, July 14th, at 5:30, 6:30, and 11 pm. Len Sutton was interviewed as well as myself. This should really help the situation. Hopefully Clemson will allow business to remain in business, and other citys and towns will think about the impact these kind of restrictions have BEFORE they pass them.

[rick77]

I was loading up my truck for tomorrows work, stepped inside for a moment and just happened to catch the last few seconds of the news 4 interview with Len Sutton. I wish I would have known about this so I could've seen the whole thing.

So Micah & Len, this may end up being great advertisement for you two providing that the towns involved allow you to work.

Micah, sorry I missed your interview. Maybe I can catch it online. I'll check New 4's website.

[rick77]

I just saw the whole news segment at

Video

Great work Micah & Len!

[newlook]

Len & Micah

OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!

[Beth n Rod]

Great press! Way to go guys!

Beth

[CarolinaProWash]

It's going into the PWNC NEWS page today!! Great job guys!!

[We Wash Concrete]

Thanks guys,

Len did a great job. The news reporter and the camera man too were very understanding and I think they really wanted to make a difference in the situation.

I didn't know so many people watched the news anymore. A lot of people have been commenting on it! It will be interesting to see what Clemson does in response.

The news piece started from just a 10 minute trip to the news room. I was passing by so I stopped and just talked to them about it. If unnecessary restrictions are passed in your area, I highly suggest talking to the news about it. They want to cover stuff like this!

[Mike Williamson]

Originally Posted by rick77

I just saw the whole news segment at

Video

Great work Micah & Len!

Excellent! Great job!

[Palmetto Home and Deck]

[From the Andeson Independant] "South Carolina Drought Response Committee members upgraded Anderson County’s drought status to “extreme” during their meeting Tuesday.
Anderson joined Abbeville, Edgefield, McCormick, Laurens, Greenwood, Saluda, Newberry and Union counties in being upgraded. Previously Pickens, Oconee, Greenville, Cherokee and Greenville were the only counties in the state labeled extreme.
The good news, though, is that the committee did not recommend mandatory water restrictions."

Nine more counties were added to the extreme drought list on Tuesday. While the state committee did not recommend mandatory restrictions I expect individual cities to panic and do so like Clemson did. Parts of Spartanburg County implemented mandatory restrictions this past weekend. Tryon, NC went to mandatory restrictions last week.

It is getting pretty scary around here even if these restriction do have an impact on my business. The lakes are getting so low that in a lot of areas of what was once water is nothing now but mud flats that are starting to grow trees. People's boat docks are high and dry and in some places hundreds of yards from the nearest water. Wells are starting to run dry....all the creeks, streams, and cow ponds are too.

Thank God I know how to swing a hammer. I may have to winterize my rig in August this year, but I am already setting up to start more deck construction and rebuilds until this drought is over.