Can I divert to storm drain?

[Rainway]

I’ve got a small automatic car wash.

I was talking to a local mechanic who informed me the self service bays here drain to the storm drain. He also said the drains in his shop go to storm drain too (they just have an oil separator and it will back up if that gets full).

Does anyone know if that’s an option to re-route the car wash discharge to the storm drain? That would be a game changer. The local sewer bills are outright theft - city utility charges every business the same rate whether you’re a car wash or the favored brewery in town discharging hops and barley sludge.

Thanks

 

[chaz]

I hope not! Storm water falls from the sky when it rains. Hard to control what goes in s/s pits...even with oil water separator. Plus in my area....sewage is billed based on water used so wouldn’t reduce rates.

 

[OurTown]

Maybe Alaska is different but in Ohio it goes to the sanitary sewer and not the storm. The question is what does the sewer plant do to get the chemicals out of the water before they discharge it? Also while we are on this subject what about the opposite in that rain water goes into the sanitary sewer. I'm assuming it is allowed because we have seen some self serve bays without a roof. I think 2biz has one so maybe he can tell us.

 

[Rainway]

I hope not! Storm water falls from the sky when it rains. Hard to control what goes in s/s pits...even with oil water separator. Plus in my area....sewage is billed based on water used so wouldn’t reduce rates.

Yeah my sewage is based 100% on water meter read so it assumes it all goes down the drain. I just get a deduction meter installed for the faucet that we fill up scrub buckets so now at least I won’t be paying for sewer for that little amount.

 

[Rainway]

Maybe Alaska is different but in Ohio it goes to the sanitary sewer and not the storm. The question is what does the sewer plant do to get the chemicals out of the water before they discharge it? Also while we are on this subject what about the opposite in that rain water goes into the sanitary sewer. I'm assuming it is allowed because we have seen some self serve bays without a roof. I think 2biz has one so maybe he can tell us.

Alaska is frontier and hasn’t been an organized state as long so tends to have less laws and regulations than a lot of lower 48 states. So I don’t think there’s really much in the way of regulation specific to car washes so was wondering if there were federal / EPA requirements that dictate car washes have to go to sewer.

I thought it was a maybe a long shot that it was something I could do but had to inquire.

 

[Rudy]

I can't imagine any place in America....where dumping anything other than storm water into a storm drain was HIGHLY ILLEGAL.

Yes, there are environmental laws that prevent you from doing what you are asking to do.

Get out your wallet, and be prepared to pay up (big time) if you get caught.

Good luck.

 

[robert roman]

Federal regulations prohibit “new” injection wells and septic systems for commercial and industrial uses as well as surface water runoff. So, if wands were originally permitted to drain to storm sewer system, consider it fortunate. States may have more stringent requirements than Fed but not less stringent. So, discharging from in-bay to storm sewer would not comply. Moreover, as mentioned, this is frontier country where scarcity of resources generally leads to much higher prices for goods and services. So, it’s typical for merchants in these regions to pass higher costs to consumers.

 

[Waxman]

Read the Federal Clean Waters Act of 1948 / 1974

https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-water-act

 

[2Biz]

Also while we are on this subject what about the opposite in that rain water goes into the sanitary sewer. I'm assuming it is allowed because we have seen some self serve bays without a roof. I think 2biz has one so maybe he can tell us.

My wash is quite old. I'm sure the outside truck bay is grandfathered in. I doubt it would be allowed with current regulations. I've never raised the question... Sometimes you have to leave a sleeping dog alone!

 

[Randy]

I’ve been to the Rainway car wash across the street from the Costco in Lemon Creek/Juneau. Yes the “Federal Clean Water Act” does apply to the wild frontier of Alaska. I’m sure the “Alaskan Brewing company” pays plenty to be connected to the sewer system. If you want to really save money on your water and sewer rates think about a rain water collection system. Put a couple of big tanks in the ground, collect all of the rain water, it’s not like it doesn’t rain much in Juneau.