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Options for Dealing with Your Car Wash Wastewater

car wash, wastewater, enviro concepts

Professional car wash businesses are growing throughout Australia. As an operator of a professional car wash, what are your options with the dirt and chemicals in your wash water? How can you be compliant in discharging this wastewater properly and not raise any red flags with your local council? How do you prevent ground water contamination? How can you be more environmentally friendly? These are important questions for the business owner and in this article, we explore why it’s important to treat wastewater and look for some simple solutions for treatment that are not just good for the environment but also good for the business and the bottom line.

Why is Carwash Wastewater Harmful to the Environment?

Wash water from vehicle wash can have harmful contaminants. These contaminants must be removed before the water is discharged. Some of these contaminants include:

  • Detergents have organic compounds (biodegradable detergents) and if they show up in freshwaters, they can have poisonous effects on all kinds of aquatic life
  • Phosphates can cause excessive growth of algae and become a nuisance in water bodies
  • Oil and grease, which are always present in car wash water can contain hazardous materials including lead, zinc, chromium, arsenic, benzene, nitrates and other metals
  • Solvent-based solutions have chemicals like hydrofluoric acid and ammonium bifluoride products that are also harmful to living eco systems.
  • Finally, the high amount of dirt or solids can clog pipe networks.

Managing Proper Discharge of Wastewater

It is easy to implement improved water conservation and wastewater management processes with Enviro Concepts. Car washes must route their wash water to approved drainage facilities. Filtration of the wastewater must be conducted before discharge.

Enviro Concepts’ Solids Interceptor Oil Separator treats the wastewater that’s pumped out of our modular washpads (or any wash pad area). The solids interceptor tank allows for solids to fall to the bottom of the tank before the oil water separation can start. This is one of our most popular products especially for water treatment discharge for car or truck wash bays.

Achieving High Efficiency

Professional car washes can easily implement improved water conservation practices while making sure that they are not discharging harmful wastewater to the environment. Enviro Concepts offers the option to recycle the wastewater and reuse it for the car wash facility. Water consumption is a challenge for car wash businesses as there is a constant and high requirement for fresh, clean water. Enviro Concepts can create a close looped system with our EL Water Recycling plant that not only helps the business owner in conservation and reclaim, it also provides compliance for council regulations.

For more information on our car washbays and water treatment systems, contact us or request a free estimate