Wichita will be home to Club Carwash. Several sites around town have been purchased, but one is a concern to anyone interested in protecting the Little Arkansas River. The concerning site is located on the west bank of the Little Arkansas River in the 1700 blk of West 21rst street North. Please stay tuned, or volunteer to help discern what the threat is to water quality in the Little Arkansas River, which is already so polluted it is unsafe for many activities.
Links to EPA publication: http://www.epa.state.il.us/small-business/car-wash/car-wash.pdf
The Clean Water Act requires professional car washes to route car wash wastewater to water treatment facilities or to state-approved drainage facilities designed to protect the environment. Filtration of the wastewater may be conducted before discharge to a sanitary sewer. Filtration is recommended so that fewer solids are present in the wash wastewater stream discharge to the sanitary sewer system.
Filtration is mandated by the MWRDGC for wastewater that contains particles greater than 0.5 inch in diameter. Once filtration has taken place, you will be left with a sludge that must be disposed of. Details for proper disposal are discussed below Information presented in this publication is intended to provide a general understanding of the statutory and regulatory requirements governing car wash wastewater. This information is not intended to replace, limit or expand upon the complete statutory and regulatory requirements found in the Illinois Environmental Protection Act and Title 35 of the Illinois Administrative Code. These requirements can be found on line at www.ipcb.state.il.us