Waste Water Dumping

Cleaning and Restoration Waste Water Dumping

In many Cities throughout the United States there are laws against dumping waste water. Carpet and upholstery cleaners, as well as flood restorers can be affected by this. During the past 20 – 30 years of “truckmount” cleaning and water extraction, the typical procedure was to open the dump valve and empty the water onto the driveway and into the street, ending up in the storm drain.

The storm drain is the opening out on the street that clears away water during a "storm". This water, usually, goes to our lakes and streams. This is NOT the sewer system. The sewer system is the pipes connected to the building that carry waste water to a local waste water treatment facility or sewage treatment plant.

When “automatic pump outs” came along, technicians could now place a hose in the flower bed, now doing waste water dumping into the flower bed. In some cases, this can work. The water percolates through the layers of earth and rock. This filters, the waste water, as it passes through these layers, on its way to the lake or stream.

An issue here can be dry solvents and other potentially harmful chemicals in the waste water. While these ingredients can be safe, when properly used for cleaning, they are not meant for drinking. The earth does filter large particles, but chemical ingredients can be a problem.

What has happened, in some cities, response to dumping on driveways and city streets has been met by the city or local municipality imposing fines and even criminal charges.

In Houston, it can be a substantial fine plus criminal charges. Carpet cleaners and restorers are expected to dump their waste water into the sewer cleanout; the pvc pipe with a cap on.  Often this “cap” is buried in the flower bed you can only find it about 30% of the time, assuming it’s a newer house. Older houses may not have one and the toilet will become the dump site.

Also, each local village can also have their own rules about waster water, as well as the overall City rules.

Another major issue can be a company doing a sewer backup cleanup. Let’s say the whole cul-de-sac is backed from a major sewer issue, what do you do with the extracted sewage. According to the IICRC S500, it must be hauled to a licensed waste water treatment facility.

You could call a septic tank cleaning company or use a disposal site at an RV park. Just be sure, whatever you do is legal and safe.

One of our carpet cleaning trucks was leaking a little water, in our parking lot, from not being completely emptied after a job. The local village officials came to our office, to inform us if it was still leaking tomorrow, we would be fined.

Make sure you know the laws in your area. It can be very expensive getting caught using the storm drain to dump your water. PLUS, depending on what you are using to clean, it may not be good for our lakes and streams!

Make some phone calls. Don't guess. Know your local laws!

MAKE MONEY!

Dennis Klager

IICRC Instructor