Larry Hinckley
Hall of Fame Member
FOR THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
Storm Water Quality
Fact Sheet for Power Washers
The following information is provided to help mobile commercial cosmetic cleaners understand the terms and limitations of their permit. If you need additional information or have any questions, please call the City of Fort Worth Department of Environmental Management, at 817-871-6088 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Fees for permits and certificates
The fee for the permit (which goes to the business) is $25.00.
The fee for the registration certificates is $25.00 per wash unit.
Permit term and certificates
The permit is valid for the year of its issuance. Registration certificates (stickers) are also valid for the year of issuance.
Permits and registration certificates are non-transferable.
Registration numbers and registration certificates must be permanently displayed on each of the vehicles registered under the permit. The registration numbers shall be placed on each side of the vehicle in a visible location. Numbers must be a minimum of three (3) inches in height in a color contrasting to their background. Registration certificates must also be placed in a visible location.
Changes in business and vehicles
You must immediately notify the Department of Environmental Management of any management changes in your business during the time the permit is in effect.
You must also notify the Department of Environmental Management should you sell or otherwise dispose of a vehicle registered under your permit.
Best Management Practices (BMPs )
You must ensure that all of your employees are knowledgeable of the discharge limitations listed in this fact sheet and that they use Best Management Practices whenever they are engaged in cosmetic cleaning activities.
Some of these Best Management Activities include, but are not limited to:
Precleaning liquid accumulations of oil or grease with absorbent clay or a similar material prior to washing. The oil soaked clay should be placed in a plastic bag and disposed to a dumpster.
If your wash water meets the requirements of one of the exemptions listed in the following pages and can be discharged to the storm drain, then storm drain entrances must be screened to catch leaves and other debris. The Department of Environmental Management is recommending using a 20 mesh or finer screen over the storm drain inlet. The debris may be placed in a dumpster after it has dried.
Also, if your wash water can be discharged to the storm drain then it must pass through an oil absorbent boom or pad so no oil sheen is present in the discharge.
All wash water that does not meet the requirements of the exemptions must be collected before it leaves the property and it is up to you to determine the best method of confining the wash water on property. You may choose to use a stationary boom teamed with a sump pump or wet vac, a vacuum boom system or some other method. Regardless of the method you choose, you must not let any wash water escape the property and enter the storm drain system.
Discharges of wash water
You must have permission from the property owner before discharging wash water to the sanitary sewer. All discharges to the sanitary sewer must be free of grease, grit or any other substance that could possibly clog the pipe. The Department of Environmental Management recommends filtering the wash water through a 400 micron filter before discharging. The wastes left in the filter may be placed in a dumpster after drying.
Discharges to the sanitary sewer must not have a temperature greater than 150° F, must not have a pH less that 5.0 or greater than 12.0.
Discharges to the sanitary sewer must not contain pollutants which could create a fire or explosion hazard.
Wash water recycling units
All permit holders that use wash water recycling units must list all sanitary sewer discharge locations and other disposal sites. The application form requires that a map be supplied showing the exact location of these discharge points.
All permit holders that use wash water recycling units must also:
Notify the Department of Environmental Management of all changes in disposal sites used during the permit term.
Discharge wash water into the sanitary sewer only at those sites described in the permit application.
Test or cause to be tested at least once during each permit term a representative sample of the wash water. The sample must be tested for oil and grease, cyanide, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, silver, zinc. Testing methods must be as specified by the Supervisor of the Industrial Waste Section of the Wastewater Treatment Division of the Fort Worth Water Department. Call Industrial Waste at 817-871-8305 for more details on testing methods
Report the results of such tests to the Industrial Waste Section of the Wastewater Treatment Division of the Fort Worth Water Department.
Criminal penalty for illicit discharge
A person commits an offense, punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 per day per offense, if he introduces or causes to be introduced any discharge to the storm drain system that is not composed entirely of stormwater. However, as mentioned earlier in this Fact Sheet, there are some defenses to this rule. These defenses include things like runoff from lawn sprinklers, surfacing groundwater and fire fighting water. The provision that may be used by cosmetic cleaners is:
A discharge or flow from cold water used in cosmetic cleaning that is not contaminated with any soap, detergent, degreaser, solvent, emulsifier, dispersant or any other cleaning substance.
Also, this defense applies to discharges using hot water cosmetic cleaning without any of the mentioned contaminants provided that permission is granted by the Department of Environmental Management prior to using the hot water. Hot water is defined as any water over 110°F. Remember, any discharge must be screened for debris and must pass through an oil boom or oil absorbent pad before it enters the storm drain system.
Storm Water Quality
Fact Sheet for Power Washers
The following information is provided to help mobile commercial cosmetic cleaners understand the terms and limitations of their permit. If you need additional information or have any questions, please call the City of Fort Worth Department of Environmental Management, at 817-871-6088 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Fees for permits and certificates
The fee for the permit (which goes to the business) is $25.00.
The fee for the registration certificates is $25.00 per wash unit.
Permit term and certificates
The permit is valid for the year of its issuance. Registration certificates (stickers) are also valid for the year of issuance.
Permits and registration certificates are non-transferable.
Registration numbers and registration certificates must be permanently displayed on each of the vehicles registered under the permit. The registration numbers shall be placed on each side of the vehicle in a visible location. Numbers must be a minimum of three (3) inches in height in a color contrasting to their background. Registration certificates must also be placed in a visible location.
Changes in business and vehicles
You must immediately notify the Department of Environmental Management of any management changes in your business during the time the permit is in effect.
You must also notify the Department of Environmental Management should you sell or otherwise dispose of a vehicle registered under your permit.
Best Management Practices (BMPs )
You must ensure that all of your employees are knowledgeable of the discharge limitations listed in this fact sheet and that they use Best Management Practices whenever they are engaged in cosmetic cleaning activities.
Some of these Best Management Activities include, but are not limited to:
Precleaning liquid accumulations of oil or grease with absorbent clay or a similar material prior to washing. The oil soaked clay should be placed in a plastic bag and disposed to a dumpster.
If your wash water meets the requirements of one of the exemptions listed in the following pages and can be discharged to the storm drain, then storm drain entrances must be screened to catch leaves and other debris. The Department of Environmental Management is recommending using a 20 mesh or finer screen over the storm drain inlet. The debris may be placed in a dumpster after it has dried.
Also, if your wash water can be discharged to the storm drain then it must pass through an oil absorbent boom or pad so no oil sheen is present in the discharge.
All wash water that does not meet the requirements of the exemptions must be collected before it leaves the property and it is up to you to determine the best method of confining the wash water on property. You may choose to use a stationary boom teamed with a sump pump or wet vac, a vacuum boom system or some other method. Regardless of the method you choose, you must not let any wash water escape the property and enter the storm drain system.
Discharges of wash water
You must have permission from the property owner before discharging wash water to the sanitary sewer. All discharges to the sanitary sewer must be free of grease, grit or any other substance that could possibly clog the pipe. The Department of Environmental Management recommends filtering the wash water through a 400 micron filter before discharging. The wastes left in the filter may be placed in a dumpster after drying.
Discharges to the sanitary sewer must not have a temperature greater than 150° F, must not have a pH less that 5.0 or greater than 12.0.
Discharges to the sanitary sewer must not contain pollutants which could create a fire or explosion hazard.
Wash water recycling units
All permit holders that use wash water recycling units must list all sanitary sewer discharge locations and other disposal sites. The application form requires that a map be supplied showing the exact location of these discharge points.
All permit holders that use wash water recycling units must also:
Notify the Department of Environmental Management of all changes in disposal sites used during the permit term.
Discharge wash water into the sanitary sewer only at those sites described in the permit application.
Test or cause to be tested at least once during each permit term a representative sample of the wash water. The sample must be tested for oil and grease, cyanide, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, silver, zinc. Testing methods must be as specified by the Supervisor of the Industrial Waste Section of the Wastewater Treatment Division of the Fort Worth Water Department. Call Industrial Waste at 817-871-8305 for more details on testing methods
Report the results of such tests to the Industrial Waste Section of the Wastewater Treatment Division of the Fort Worth Water Department.
Criminal penalty for illicit discharge
A person commits an offense, punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 per day per offense, if he introduces or causes to be introduced any discharge to the storm drain system that is not composed entirely of stormwater. However, as mentioned earlier in this Fact Sheet, there are some defenses to this rule. These defenses include things like runoff from lawn sprinklers, surfacing groundwater and fire fighting water. The provision that may be used by cosmetic cleaners is:
A discharge or flow from cold water used in cosmetic cleaning that is not contaminated with any soap, detergent, degreaser, solvent, emulsifier, dispersant or any other cleaning substance.
Also, this defense applies to discharges using hot water cosmetic cleaning without any of the mentioned contaminants provided that permission is granted by the Department of Environmental Management prior to using the hot water. Hot water is defined as any water over 110°F. Remember, any discharge must be screened for debris and must pass through an oil boom or oil absorbent pad before it enters the storm drain system.
