Dumping Hazardous Liquid down Self Serve Drain

[Wash Grunt]

Our cameras picked up two guys in a pick up towing a large trailer with a tank on it pull into one of our Self Serve bays, and pump an unknown black liquid down the drain.. The truck had no markings on it but a sign on the back of the trailer said" Got Rubber, We Do." I am guessing it is probably a rubber roofing company. Checking the drain, there is no petroleum smell. Stains on the pavement are a black tar like substance. I called the police and had a report made. The Officer is going to do some research on EPA concerns. Because our drains empty into the city sewer, he is going to check with the Wastewater Treatment Plant. We just had our pits pumped out two week ago. Has anyone had to deal with this problem? What is the Car Wash's responsiblity/ liability if any in a situation like this. Is there anything else we should do?

 

[HeyVern]

Ultimately, you are responsible for what goes down your drain. You may get shut down until that pit is pumped out and cleaned and the substance identified.

 

[Eric H]

Any chance you’re near Neenah, WI?

 

[Wash Grunt]

No, Mattawan MI..

 

[Eric H]

I did a quick search and found a video titled “got rubber, we do”. I was hoping to get lucky and find the company. I HATE dirtbags

 

[Wash Grunt]

I did the same. I think the substance may be water soluable, as there is nothing floating in the pit. They were using the spray gun to spray water into the top of the tank. I can spray the stains off the floor with direct pressure. We are checking to see if they used a credit card in the bay. Trailer is really distinct, so hopefully we can find them.

 

[sparkey]

It sucks when people do these kind of things but if I couldn't identify the vehicle I think the last thing I would do would be call the city. You may open yourself up to liability or fines or both. I would just hope lots of water went through the system to flush it away from my location as fast as possible.