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ECAR
Fact Sheet for Alabama
Wastewater
Discharges
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The
following fact sheet was prepared by the ECAR Center staff. Once
prepared, each ECAR Center fact sheet undergoes a review process
with the applicable state environmental agency(ies). You can check
on the status of the review process here.
Please read the disclaimer on the status page. While we have tried
to present a summary of the essential information on this topic,
you should be aware that other items, such as local regulations,
may apply to you.
What
You Need to Know
As
an auto recycler, you almost certainly generate wastewater through
operations such as rinsing parts and washing engines, cars and
dirty tools. If water becomes mixed with oil, antifreeze, solvents,
or other liquids, it is important that it be properly treated
and contained prior to discharge. If your wastewater is currently
just going down an unregulated drain, you’re potentially causing
significant problems for which you will be held responsible.
Even if your activities have gone unnoticed for years, there is
an increasing chance that you will be inspected. The federal
EPA and the states are starting to look much more carefully at
sources of water pollution that have so far remained unidentified,
and they have decided to focus on auto recyclers in particular.
There
are a few basic rules to keep in mind. The first is that
wastewater from ordinary lavatory use and hand washing ("sanitary
wastewater") can generally be discharged to a city sewer
or a septic field only if it does not contain any
waste from industrial sources. Wastewater from industrial
discharges is usually handled by wastewater treatment plants,
but you will probably be required to conduct “pretreatment” of
the discharge. Most importantly, you should remember that the
storm drains that carry rain and snow runoff from dismantling
yards, roof downspouts, parking lots, and other surfaces typically
go directly to open waterways, and must never be used illegally
for disposal. It is important that all the employees at
your yard are aware of these rules, and that they respect them.
You
will almost certainly need separate permits both for stormwater
runoff (see the ECAR Stormwater fact sheet)
and for any industrial wastewater that you generate. This
page will give you an overview of how to handle your industrial
wastewater.
Regulations
This
fact sheet addresses wastewater discharges other than stormwater,
which is covered by a different fact sheet. Wastewater from salvage
yards can be subdivided into two main types:
- "Sanitary
wastewater" includes the water coming from lavatories/washrooms,
showers, drinking fountains, etc.
- "Industrial
wastewater" includes the water going into floor drains
in areas such as dismantling, discharges from aqueous cleaning,
water from steam cleaning or equipment wash down, water used
for floor cleanup in dismantling areas (e.g., mop water),
or water from any other sources where it comes into contact
with dismantled parts, equipment, trucks, or machinery.
Sanitary
wastewater can be discharged to a city sewer system or an approved
septic tank system. Most local governments require businesses
to obtain a discharge permit. Sanitary wastewater cannot be discharged
to a stream, pond, or wetland without having a special permit.
The
Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) regulates
industrial wastewater differently than sanitary wastewater. If
you combine sanitary and industrial wastewater, then the mixed
wastewater is regulated like industrial wastewater. All industrial
wastewater discharges are regulated by federal and state regulations
and in most cases, also by local regulations established by the
publicly owned treatment works or POTW.
Disposal
Options. There are three primary options for disposing of
industrial wastewater from auto recycling facilities:
- Discharge
it to a POTW (Publicly Owned Treatment Works) or Sanitary
Sewer System. Under the State Indirect Discharge (SID)
program facilities are permitted to discharge to publicly
or privately owned wastewater treatment works (POTW’s). If
your facility discharges industrial wastewater into a municipal
sewer that is connected to a POTW, you must meet the standards
set by the receiving water treatment facility. Also, you may
be required to treat your wastewater prior to discharging
it to a sewer or POTW, and you will need a permit or written
permission for all discharges. Visit ADEM’s SID
webpage for more information or you may click on the links
below to access permit forms. You must also follow state and
federal requirements, which are outlined under the Regulations
section below.
- Haul
it to an approved treatment facility. If your area is
not served by a municipal sanitary sewer system, you may opt
to transport your wastewater to an approved treatment facility.
Before you haul wastewater you must perform a hazardous waste
determination. This may involve getting it tested by a laboratory.
If the wastewater is non-hazardous, then you should maintain
test records that support your determination.
- Haul
it to a Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility. If your industrial
wastewater is considered "hazardous," you must manage
it using special procedures. For more information, see the ECAR
Hazardous Waste Fact Sheet. You will need to ensure that
the tank storing this wastewater meets the requirements contained
in the hazardous waste rules. In addition, you must ensure
that you properly manage the wastewater upon removing it from
the tank and that it is transported by certified hazardous
waste transporters.
- Discharge
it to the Surface Waters. If your facility discharges
industrial wastewater via a “point source” (such as a pipe,
etc.) directly to waters of the state, you will be required
to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) permit. Waters of the state include (but are not limited
to) ground water, storm drains, rivers, ponds, streams, lakes
and ditches. NPDES permits set limits on the quantity, discharge
rate and concentrations of pollutants in the water that are
discharged from a point source into waters of the state. If
you obtain this type of permit, you will be required to frequently
collect samples of your wastewater and have them analyzed
at a laboratory. You will also have reporting and recordkeeping
responsibilities.
Most
auto recyclers use option 1 or 2. Option 1 is viable when the
facility is located in an area served by a sanitary sewer system,
while Option 2 is the economical choice when the volume is small.
Before you begin to discharge industrial wastewater using option
1, you must acquire a permit or written approval from your local
sewer district or POTW. You also will have to meet certain rules
found in federal and state regulations, including:
- You
are prohibited from discharging any pollutant, including oil,
that may upset or interfere with the sewage treatment processes
or pass through the system untreated;
- The
pH of your wastewater often must be between 6.0 and 9.0;
- You
cannot discharge pollutants (e.g., solvents) that may cause
a fire in the sewer system; and
- You
cannot discharge pollutants such as sludge (e.g., grease,
dirt) that may clog the sewer system.
Pretreatment. To meet the rules listed above, you may need to install treatment
equipment such as an oil/water separator to prevent oil and sludge
from being discharged to the sewer. This is referred to as "pretreatment.”
The oil and sludge collected by pretreatment equipment will have
to be periodically removed and disposed of, possibly as a hazardous
waste (you must make a hazardous waste determination).
*It
is important to note that discharging industrial wastewater to
a septic tank is not a viable option. Septic tank systems, wells,
drain fields, cesspools and similar disposal sites are regulated
by federal and state Underground Injection Control (UIC) program
rules that are designed to prevent the contamination of underground
drinking water supplies. For more information see the Septic Tanks and Disposal Wells
Fact Sheet.
Links
to the Regulations and Forms. Use the following links to view
the regulations and permit forms pertaining to wastewater.
NPDES Permit
Application – ADEM Form 187 (Must accompany EPA Form 1)
EPA Form 1 – NPDES Permit
State Indirect
Discharge (SID) Permit Application – ADEM Form 186
ADEM Water Quality
Program Regulations
Self-Audit
Checklist
When
an inspector comes to your facility, there are certain things
he or she checks to see if you are in compliance with environmental
regulations. It makes good sense for you to perform a "self-audit"
and catch and correct problems before they result in penalties.
Also, there are some compliance incentives associated with self-audits
(see Audit Policy Page).
Use
the following list to audit your wastewater management activities.
- Does
your facility discharge process wastewater? Are the discharges
authorized by a permit? Check all uses of water and steam
within the industrial areas of your facility. Determine where
wastewater is generated and discharged. You must have a NPDES
permit to discharge to surface waters and you will likely
need a permit to discharge to your local sewer authority.
Check with your local POTW and ADEM to ensure you have the
proper permits.
- Have
you performed the necessary pretreatment? If you are
discharging to a sewer system/treatment plant, you may have
to perform pretreatment of your waste. Check with your local
sewer authority.
- Is
oil or solvent discharged to the sewer? Federal and state
laws prohibit the discharge of oil or flammable solvents to
the sewer system. These are regulated wastes that must be
properly disposed of.
Best
Management Practices (BMPs)
Most
regulations tell you what you have to do to be in compliance,
but they don’t explain how to do it. That’s where "best
management practices" come into play. BMPs are proven
methods that help you to get into compliance and stay there. The
following BMPs are recommended for wastewater management.
- Limit
water use and the volume of water discharged through conservation
methods and by reusing water whenever possible.
- Train
employees to use water efficiently.
- Don’t
use water for cleaning floors and equipment unless absolutely
necessary. Use dry cleanup methods for spills.
- Post
signs at all floor drains and sinks in industrial areas of
your facility to discourage employees from using the drains
to dispose of oil, other vehicle fluids, solvent, paint or
similar liquids. Review these rules with your employees.
- Use
only non-toxic soaps to clean floors and vehicles instead
of hazardous materials.
- If
you have floor drains at your facility that are not in use,
consider having them capped or plugged to prevent misuse or
accidental discharges.
- Prevent
drips and spills from reaching the floor.
- Check
your floor drains and make certain you know where they discharge.
- Setup
and use a maintenance schedule for inspection and cleaning
of floor drains, oil/water separators, traps, etc.
- Never
have floor drains where hazardous materials are stored.
- If
your wastewater is nonhazardous, you may want to purchase
evaporating equipment to evaporate your wastewater. It should
be noted that evaporators may require an air permit or registration,
and evaporator bottoms may be considered a hazardous waste.
- Don’t
use degreaser solvents to clean engines. Most engine degreasers
are hazardous and should not be discharged to a POTW. Even
if you use nonhazardous degreasers, the oil and grease concentration
in the spent degreaser may exceed the limit allowed by your
sewer authority.
Contacts
- For
more information, contact ADEM’s Water Division at 334-271-7823.
- To
report a spill or leak, call the ADEM’s 24-hour hotline at
800-843-0699, or the National Response Center at 800-424-8802.
- To
report an environmental incident or complaint, contact the
nearest regional
office.
Related
ECAR Fact Sheets
- Stormwater
- Septic Tanks and Disposal
Wells
Other
Relevant Resources
None.
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