ECAR
Fact Sheet for Missouri
Wastewater
Discharges
Regulations
Self-Audit Checklist
Best Management Practices
Contacts
Related ECAR Fact Sheets
Other Relevant Resources
BACK
to VIRTUAL TOUR
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
Vehicle
salvage businesses generate wastewater during daily operations.
Sources of wastewater include hot tank solutions and parts washers.
These wastewaters may contain metals that can cause them to be hazardous
or they may be corrosive hazardous wastes. They may also contain
oils, greases, solvents and detergents.
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
Most communities provide sewer collection
and wastewater treatment facilities. If your business is connected
to a sewer and treatment plant, contact them to explain the materials
you wish to dispose of in the sewer system.
Pretreatment. You may
need to pretreat the wastewater in some way before putting it in
the sewer. For example, an oil/water separator or treatment for
a particular contaminant may be required. The used oil collected
during pretreatment may be eligible for recycling with your used oil.
Hazardous Waste.
In areas where a wastewater treatment facility is not available
or cannot take your water, you must carefully manage the wastewater
from your shop. If the wastewater is hazardous, you must manage
it by sending it to a permitted hazardous waste facility. See the
ECAR Hazardous Waste Fact Sheet. If your wastewater
is not hazardous, you can haul it to an approved wastewater treatment
plant if the plant is willing to accept it. Also, if the wastewater
is not hazardous, you may be able to treat it yourself. This will
probably require a permit from the Department to assure that the
treatment process you want to use will properly treat your wastewater.
Disposal. If you cannot connect your shop
to a wastewater treatment plant, you may be able to discharge domestic
wastewater (water from restroom or kitchen facilities) to a septic
system. On-site septic systems that treat domestic wastewater are
regulated by county health departments. You will still need to collect
any industrial wastewater (water from parts washers, floor cleaning,
etc.) and manage it as described above.
*Do
not put your industrial wastewater down the drain unless you are
connected to a sewer and treatment plant and have permission from
the plant.
Discharges to waters of Missouri. If your facility discharges industrial wastewater via a “point
source” (such as a pipe, etc.) directly to waters of Missouri, you
will be required to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) permit. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources
issues these permits in Missouri where they are called Missouri
State Operating Permits.
Waters of state include (but are
not limited to) ground water, storm drains, rivers, streams, lakes
and ditches. Missouri State Operating Permits can be either general
or individual permits. A general permit is a “one size fits all” type of permit and is issued
for specific types of discharges such as storm water runoff, non-contact
cooling water or stone quarry discharges.
When a business stores toxic materials
or large amounts of potential contaminants exposed to rainfall,
needs close monitoring, or is one of only a few of its kind in the
state, it may need a site-specific permit. A site-specific permit
takes into account the individual characteristics of the site and
the storm water runoff. In some cases, the Department may require
the owner or operator of a site to apply for a site-specific permit
in order to better protect water quality.
Links
to the Regulations and Forms. Use the following links to view the regulations and permit forms pertaining
to wastewater.
Department
Water Quality Rules
Federal Safe Drinking Water
Act Requirements
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 may need a permit
to discharge to your local sewer authority. Check with the Department to ensure you have the proper permits.
- Have you performed the necessary pretreatment? If you are discharging to a sewer system/treatment plant,
you likely will 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 the Missouri Department
of Natural Resources Environmental Assistance Office at 800-361-4827.
- To report a spill or leak, call the 573-634-2436.
- 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
- Pollution Prevention During Vehicle Salvage
BACK
to VIRTUAL TOUR
|