Boat Cleaning and the EPA - Let"s Talk
When it comes to the cleaning business and clean water you can bet the EPA is hot on the trail of curtailing unlawful discharge of run-off waste wash water.
You are going to have to ask the Marina and local environmental control folks where you are, if they will allow this, they may, or they may not.
Generally, if you don't use soap or detergents they do not have a problem with it, but in some regions they do.
So, you need to know in advance.
If you work from the water cleaning boat hulls or will have soapy run-off into the water you can buy some of those flotation barriers used to control oil spills.
They are not as expensive as you might think, and are readily available from the New Pig Catalog, as well as other online websites.
You should probably subscribe to Pollution Equipment News, and request to be on the mailing list, and email newsletter list for New Pig Environmental Products.
You will need a very strong industrial vacuum cleaner to pull the soapy water up from water, and a plastic tank on large rubber tires to take it to a municipal sewer hook-up.
If you are very careful vacuuming it up, you will get very little actual marina water, and nearly all of the soap.
For dry dock work it's a similar process.
You block off any storm drains, collect the run-off waste water, and filter the paint flakes, algae, debris, and discharge the left-over dirty water to the municipal sewer hook-up.
Simple enough, yes, but let me explain this in more detail so you get the whole picture.
First, let me start by saying that water volume usage in boat hull cleaning in a dry dock situation is critical to your re-capture and reclaim environmental strategy.
The amount of water anticipated in usage will be a factor also for the environmental filtering of the wash water.
Such environmentally friendly practices can add quite a bit of cost to your operations.
Once you know this information, you can consider the types of storm drain blockers and booms you might need.
You may even opt for a mechanical sump pump rather than a 2 GPM industrial grade shop vacuum with a pump on it.
Sump Pumps like this are readily available, and they are not too terribly expensive.
The most important thing is to make sure the low points, storm drains, rain water gutters are completely sealed while working.
You must do this; not only because it is the right thing to do and the law, but also because people will notice if you don't and some of the environmentalists in the area will become irate and make your life hell if you don't.
Do the right thing and use environmentally sound BMPs (Best Management Practices), and if you see someone who isn't - enlighten them.
Indeed, I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
As always I am open for comments or questions by email.
You are going to have to ask the Marina and local environmental control folks where you are, if they will allow this, they may, or they may not.
Generally, if you don't use soap or detergents they do not have a problem with it, but in some regions they do.
So, you need to know in advance.
If you work from the water cleaning boat hulls or will have soapy run-off into the water you can buy some of those flotation barriers used to control oil spills.
They are not as expensive as you might think, and are readily available from the New Pig Catalog, as well as other online websites.
You should probably subscribe to Pollution Equipment News, and request to be on the mailing list, and email newsletter list for New Pig Environmental Products.
You will need a very strong industrial vacuum cleaner to pull the soapy water up from water, and a plastic tank on large rubber tires to take it to a municipal sewer hook-up.
If you are very careful vacuuming it up, you will get very little actual marina water, and nearly all of the soap.
For dry dock work it's a similar process.
You block off any storm drains, collect the run-off waste water, and filter the paint flakes, algae, debris, and discharge the left-over dirty water to the municipal sewer hook-up.
Simple enough, yes, but let me explain this in more detail so you get the whole picture.
First, let me start by saying that water volume usage in boat hull cleaning in a dry dock situation is critical to your re-capture and reclaim environmental strategy.
The amount of water anticipated in usage will be a factor also for the environmental filtering of the wash water.
Such environmentally friendly practices can add quite a bit of cost to your operations.
Once you know this information, you can consider the types of storm drain blockers and booms you might need.
You may even opt for a mechanical sump pump rather than a 2 GPM industrial grade shop vacuum with a pump on it.
Sump Pumps like this are readily available, and they are not too terribly expensive.
The most important thing is to make sure the low points, storm drains, rain water gutters are completely sealed while working.
You must do this; not only because it is the right thing to do and the law, but also because people will notice if you don't and some of the environmentalists in the area will become irate and make your life hell if you don't.
Do the right thing and use environmentally sound BMPs (Best Management Practices), and if you see someone who isn't - enlighten them.
Indeed, I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
As always I am open for comments or questions by email.