Waste water management
All water contaminated by your business and as a result of work processes, cleaning or storage activities must be processed and controlled.
The Green Stamp Plus program is intended to encourage VACC members to be aware of the environmental risks associated with the running of their businesses but also to promote cost efficient mechanisms for members to manage these risks.
Environmental responsibility requires that businesses both understand and comply with relevant environmental law.
One of the most important and least understood environmental laws relates to waste water management. Trade Wastewater is any water contaminated by your business, including stormwater running off your property.
All water contaminated by your business and as a result of work processes, cleaning or storage activities must be processed and controlled. If your premises is dirty with oil residue or batteries stored carelessly in a back yard, or if your wash cars with soap on your front display area, you may be in breach of the law that requires no Wastewater from your site may be discharged into stormwater drains.
Storm water drains are those on your property and in the street that lead directly into waterways including creeks and rivers and eventually into the sea.
Visible entrances to the stormwater system include; side entry pits, kerbs, gutters, and stormwater drainpipes. Stormwater pits are normally square or rectangular in shape and are covered by a grill. They are distinguishable from sewer entry points which are generally round and harder to remove.
In the bad old days, people would illegally connect their sewer to stormwater drain and create major health risks with rivers like the Yarra being high in ecoli bacteria from human waste. Even now, some businesses illegally dump trade waste into stormwater or onto public land to save the expense of EPA controlled discharge into the sewerage system.
Local water authorities administer the discharge of all waste water under a permit system controlled by the EPA. If you are found to be contaminating rain water you may be prosecuted, heavily fined and required to pay for clean up including site remediation.
To comply with the law, you are required to check and monitor the effect your business has on rainwater and to prevent contamination. You must also review your internal uses of water, known as Production Water, and apply for Trade Waste Agreement from your local authority that must approve and permit the type and quantities of wastewater before you can discharge them into the sewer.
But there are some Production Water discharges you are not permitted to send to the sewer. In such cases, your water authority may require you to use a permitted carrier to remove and dispose of your waste in accordance with the carriers EPA permit, such as you already do with waste oil.
All Production Water acceptable for the sewer must be controlled in accordance with your permit. Usually this will require you to send wastewater to a silt trap, then into an oil/water interceptor, plate separator or a similar device, before it is allowed to enter the sewer.
Nor are you allowed to a let storm water to enter the sewer, as this can cause the sewer to flood and overflow into the street. Storm water must be prevented from entering the sewer and from being contaminated by any means.
There are several things that you can do to both to comply and to become more efficient including:
- Clean up your back yard. Get rid of all unwanted sources of contamination and accumulated rubbish such as used solvent, paint, used oil and old batteries.
- Implement a proper system for washing cars.
- Use less water. Reduced consumption also results in reduced wastes and all related costs.
- Colour code or otherwise clearly identify your stormwater drains so that all staff know where they are.
- Never hose down workshop floors to clean them. Instead, use dry cleaning methods and spot clean all spills.
- Do not allow wastewater to drain into stormwater drains.
- Do not allow storm water to enter the sewer
- Process all contaminated wastewater using a silt trap and a triple interceptor trap, plate separator, or a similar approved device, according to local requirements.
- Develop and implement a maintenance schedule to clean and maintain your traps, interceptors or separators at least every 3 to 6 months.
- Only discharge wastewater to the sewer if you have a Trade Waste Agreement or prior approval from your local water authority.
- If you do not have a Trade Waste Agreement, collect contaminated water and employ a disposal contractor with an EPA permit to pump out and dispose of the wastewater.
- If you consume a lot of water, consider installing on-site water processing or recycling equipment. Although this is a big investment, it may save you money in the long run.
For further advice, contact the VACC OHS & Environment Unit on 03 9829 1138.