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Know where your wastewater goes -
does the drain lead to a sanitary sewer and a treatment facility, or does the water flow
directly to a nearby creek or river? In either case, you want to reduce pollutants, but if
you are sending wastewater directly to a river, stream, or lake, you will want to take
extra precautions. Direct discharge of wastewater without a permit may be illegal. |
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Keep vehicle fluids and other
hazardous wastes out of the sewer system. Store them in well-marked containers for
recycling or for disposal at an appropriate facility. Be sure not to include them with
your garbage unless your hauler recycles them. |
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Prevent spills, leaks, and drips.
Keep oil, grease, solvents and other chemicals out of storm and sanitary drains.
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Use solvents only over
self-contained sinks or tanks. Don't allow solvents to drip onto the floor. |
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Prevent leaks in solvent tanks;
inspect tanks for leaks and repair any immediately. |
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Keep tanks covered when not in
use. |
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Allow cleaned engines and parts
to dry over the hot tank. |
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Catch fluid from leaking vehicles
in a drip pan, and use drip pans whenever you are changing fluids in a car. |
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Recycle wash water from engine
and parts cleaning or exterior washing as much as possible. |
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Do not allow wastewater from
steam-cleaning to flow into storm drains. It must be diverted to the sanitary sewer system
with proper pretreatment. |
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Do you need floor drains? If you
are not washing parts or vehicles, or have other uses for the drain, consider plugging the
shop floor sewer drains, thereby preventing discharges to sewers. |
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Recycle motor oil, batteries,
solvents, paints, oil filters, antifreeze, and lubricants. Be aware of any materials you
use that are considered hazardous substances, and follow all regulations related to their
storage, use or disposal. |
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Keep dust from sanding and Bondo
out of the sewers by:
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Sweeping up, not hosing down,
dust; |
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Allowing debris from wet sanding
to dry out overnight before sweeping it up; |
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Purchasing sanders with an
attached vacuum to reduce clean-up time; |
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Disposing non-hazardous dust in
the garbage. |
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Use only as much paint and
thinner as necessary. Calculate the amount of paint necessary to cover a surface and use
the best sized spray cup for the job. When you clean the spray gun, don't release the
wastewater to either the sanitary or storm sewer systems. Use an enclosed "gun
washer." |
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Keep batteries and chemical
containers dry and off the ground to prevent leaks into storm water. |
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Drain and collect fluids from
stored vehicles that are being dismantled. Reuse or recycle collected fluids. |
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Inspect, maintain, and clean all
pretreatment equipment regularly. Separators and grease traps should be cleaned at least
every three months. |
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Dry sweep areas around
fuel-dispensing islands. |
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After pollution prevention
techniques, the best way to assure that pollutants stay out of the sewer system is to
invest in a self-contained wastewater recycling system. Ultimately, this cuts down water
and sewer bills and guarantees that businesses are not contributing water quality
problems. |