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Expert: New washes will be forced to conserve water
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From Volume 25, Issue 8 - August 2001
Feature
Aging, overtaxed sewage lines create zoning headaches.
by: Kevin Hart, Executive Editor
 
 Related Information
  Municipalities with the most sprawl

For years, suburban sprawl has been a moneymaker for carwash investors. Suburbs typically provide good customer demographics, and as these regions grow, car counts and volumes improve.

However, urban and suburban sprawl both have a darkside that some experts predict will plague future carwash investors. In fact, the Sierra Club report of the municipalities most affected by sprawl reads like a list of the toughest cities in which to win carwash zoning approval (See Municipalities with the most sprawl). One of the reasons, according to Robert H. Feller, an environmental attorney with Feller & Ferrentino, Albany, NY, is that many suburbs have simply outgrown their capacity to treat flow into sewer systems. The result is pressure from state environmental agencies and rejected zoning permits for carwashes that don’t implement conservation measures, such as recycling water.

A growing crisis

Because early reclaim systems in the carwashing industry had problems with pit odor, maintenance and cloudy water, the industry originally developed a bad reputation and many operators still only buy systems when absolutely required. “When clients call us, it’s usually an economic issue,” says David Roberts, president of Miami-based manufacturer Freytech, Inc. “Rarely is someone so worried about the environment. Sometimes they are just forced to reclaim water in their jurisdiction.”

However, the number of jurisdictions requiring water recycling is likely to increase, says Feller, as sewage plants and lines continue to age. During the 1960s and 1970s, sewage plants were built rapidly across the United States, and only during the 1980s and 1990s did communities begin to realize that development meant the maintenance of the plants and lines was underfunded and the systems were overtaxed. “When you start a plant, the lines are in great shape,” says Feller. “Inevitably, the plant starts aging and some communities have more money for maintenance than others.”

The overtaxing of sewage systems causes a plethora of problems for municipalities. Sewer lines are hampered by everything from cracks that develop over time to tree roots that begin to pierce the material. Not only does increased water flow accelerate the natural decay of sewer lines, but it also inhibits the ability of sewage plants to treat sewage.

“There are plants that are taking in more wastewater than they can handle,” says Feller. “Sometimes flow is so high that there is almost no treatment of the sewage.”

As Feller points out, poorly treated sewage becomes a political hot potato, typically leading state environmental agencies to pressure communities to stringently review, and often deny, zoning applications that will require new sewer hookups. In short, although carwashes do not generate toxic waste, they do generate a lot of flow.

“Carwashes are seen as water intensive and committees get hassled by state agencies on water-flow issues,” he says. “Sometimes there is a moratorium on new hook-ups. Other times, communities think about how they want to parcel out their capacity, and all sort of equity issues come up.”

What’s next?

Unfortunately, tighter zoning restrictions may not improve the overloading currently experienced by sewage treatment plants. Although zoning boards act like gatekeepers to keep high-impact businesses out of communities, they do poor jobs of following up with businesses to ensure that conservation measures promised during planning stages are being implemented.

“There’s not a lot of follow-up, just a lot of bureaucracy up front,” says Roberts, who points out some zoning officials will demand colorless wastewater, even though the colors in carwash chemicals come from simple vegetable dyes. “We’re running across a lot of sites that are bypassing the recycling equipment but keeping it in place for appearances or for so-called compliance.”

As local and state officials fail to see reduced sewage flow, they may turn to other solutions. Feller foresees a time when sewage plants may not be asked to handle the water produced by carwashes and even some residential sources, such as faucets. This relatively clean water, often known as “gray water,” probably does not need the extensive amount of treatment provided by bacteria-based systems at sewage plants.

“If there was some level of treatment at the wash, then perhaps the water could discharge into the storm drains,” Feller says.

In the meantime, operators applying for zoning permits should be prepared to document water conservation measures they will implement at their sites. Most manufacturers are happy to assist by supplying affidavits.

“It’s quite common,” says Roberts. “We let customers know that we are available to assist them with the permitting process.”
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