Newly Proposed Law's Governing Wash Water
I have this to say once it is said that will be it I will not bore you with my views and opinions on this matter again. Some will agree some will not.
I just feel I need to say it.
As much as I hate politics it has risen its' ugly head in our industry. Some will say that it is being driven by greed and the love of money, Others say it is driven by wanting to have a lasting legacy. Some say it is just the normal growth of self-serving agenda. I believe it is all the above plus an over-reaching arm of the government wanting and thinking it is more than it should be. If you have not heard yet there are new proposed laws that are now open to a "open discussion" period for public input in Orange County Calf. Which we all know "as goes California so goes the rest" sooner or later. This will impact what we do, how we work, clean, and support our families. When they write new laws in this case updating the law, they put in as many teeth as they can, what I mean is they load it up with all types of things put some bite in it. Get it in now may not have another chance at it. Remember "we have to pass it to know what is in it" the famous remark with Obama care. Crafting laws is a fine art with what the wording said but what it really meant.
Now 5.28.14 after 2 week of he said they did, we say you didn't it all boils down to. It is over with things staying the same, "as it was intended all along". Blame it on miscommunication or misunderstanding but you can catch up on it here: http://www.ecleanmag.com/robert-hinderliter-answers-questions-on-new-proposed-orange-county-bmps-2014-05-28/,
It is a link in response from their first interview, e-clean magazine.
I don't know the exact details of how this started there is speculation all around. Actuation be thrown here there and everywhere. It does not matter who did what, when or how it is time to figure out what to do now. In a new interview on this subject it has been brought to light that some taking the heat for writhing these proposed laws are there only by invitation from Orange County. That they are modifying existing laws (
http://ocwatersheds.com/civicax/file...px?BlobID=9630) adding more to them to be in compliance with the federal government.
Here is how I see it. I'll start off with my biggest problem, a small group in the government, was born in a overreaction of speculated concern about environmental pollution, it
was established on December 2, 1970 to consolidate enforce, dictate and steer a
variety of federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and
enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection on air-quality. Since its
inception, it has been working toward becoming its' own branch of the government adding to its' power and overreach, it along with the IRS are working to see if they can become the fourth arm or branch of the government.
Is there big business behind this also? Waste haulers, recyclers for used wash water, cradle to grave insurance for hauling or moving said water, fees for hauling what is now deemed hazardous waste. If in-acted, I will need new equipment to handle "used wash water", bigger truck, hazardous waste container, I will we need new licence or permits to haul said waste, and maybe fees for disposal of said "used wash water? There was a time when "gray water" that water used for washing and cleaning containing soap and cleaners would be run off in the backyard, some folks ran it into their garden. Yes there was a time we didn't die or live in fear of wash water. It now too implies in these proposed laws somehow hot water is a pollutant, hot water is bad, hot water causes the earth problems, I knew as a kid momma was wrong now the government is proving it!
You can go on and on but what it seems to boil down to "it is prime time" to get this done. If these regulations that only effect a small, very small group power washer, carpet cleaners, car-washes, car and truck washer, painters who may use pressure washers or those that make a living with using water as a cleaning agent no other group is pointed at in these proposed laws. It is time to get it pass in to law now is the best opportunity to do so. Why pick on this small group money if we can charge this group a license fee, user fee, fines, disposal fees the government stands to make a few more dollars to waste. You know that a fine will have a huge cost related to it. As is asked are their some in the water reclaim industry pushing this? What if each and every power / pressure washing company had to buy just one reclaiming unit? What would it cost if you needed to set up a fleet of service trucks?
I know it has been said, use a sump pump, garden hose, kiddie pool and a "tote tank" for storage of waste water. Good idea a $200 dollar out lay, but my concern here is how does this look to customers? professional?
Money, money, money this two edged sword is cutting both ways and either way it will be costing the power washer more money. Where will it come from the customer is the last person in the chain. Cost will rise and with the fear of fines, threats and repercussions from that small department of the government with the ego complex, customers will not be having things washed / cleaned. Also as for those onlookers thinking it is only for those power washers won't effect us. Want to bet once this is set into law watch the ever increasing long reaching fingers start to reach out and see where it ends. Water from fire-fighters? Water form airport and gas station run-off? Water from roofs and buildings? What about the city street cleaner? Water from burst water mains? What about run off from farms and cattle pens and other animals grown for food? How about the insecticides and pesticides use by farmers this is also mentioned in the scope of this law. This law can be implied, bent and formed in several ways. If you think is is going to stop with the pressure / power washing industry you are very mistaken that is just the starting point.
A few of the regulations read like this those in green italic: My question and or answer follows.
Debris - plastic bags, six-pack rings, bottles, and cigarette butts - washed into
water-bodies can choke, suffocate, or disable aquatic life like ducks, fish, turtles,
and birds.
I don't wash: plastic bags, six-pack rings, bottles or cigarettes butts off of too many customer's homes, little less spend water and time chasing them down the street forcing them into a storm drain. If I do encounter this I pick them up and trow them away much more time and water efficient to take care of it before washing.
Hazardous wastes like insecticides, pesticides, paint, solvents, used motor oil,
and other auto fluids can poison aquatic life. Land animals and people can
become sick from eating diseased fish and shellfish or ingesting polluted water.
Polluted Waste Water can affect drinking water sources. This, in turn, can affect human health and increase drinking water treatment costs.
Are they implying that the house washing contractor applying the listed items above along with solvents and motor-oils on to the home for cleaning? Are you saying that the power washing contractor is the one and only responsible person for these chemicals listed above in water ways? Water coming off a home from a house wash would contain nothing more than that of a hard rain, if rinsing the same stated list of chemicals that may exist on the home came off how is the contractor responsible for this? If the home had the above mentioned chemicals on it the rain would remove them also. Last time I checked there was not a big call for washing plants and vegetation so insecticides and pesticides if in waterways can not be drawn back to the washing contractor maybe they should be going after an exterminator instead. If Cleaned by Pete does encounter any oils or petrol spills or drips we use a chemical absorbent sock or pig that are capable of removing 90% plus of this contaminants by running our wash water trough them first. Same defence use for oil spills and water way clean-ups.
Polluted runoff has caused thousands of water bodies nationwide to become impaired meaning that they do not meet state water quality standards. This runoff threatens our health and costs our communities money. Not only will requiring pollution sources to take action make our waters safer and healthier, but it will also help cities and towns that are financially struggling
to meet current clean water requirements.
I'm sorry for being stupid here but what is this "runoff" they're talking about? Can you prove that this "runoff" as they referring to it was put in the water ways by me washing a home for a customer? Is this run off that is polluting our waterways proven and documented that it came from a "cosmetic cleaner", power washing contractors, painters, car washer or others making a living while using water as a cleaning agent? Show me your research show me your proof. Lumping our wash water in the "runoff" form parking lots, street, people poring used oil down the storm drain, tanker spills, chemical spills is a low, low, implication that a contractor did it. You should be ashamed of wording like this and implications that a small group of professionals did this. I have seen more oil and gas washed down the road by those cleaning up after an accident when a spill may cause a fire or problem, not a power washer a fire department you want to fine them too? Ridiculous wording, ridiculous implications, ridiculous actualization toward a group of professional contractors, driven by greed, the want of money, more fees and pending sales of equipment, imposing your unproven research on and blaming a power washing contractor.
We have been working hard on reducing our "carbon offset footprint" here at Cleaned by Pete and if we have to bring in more equipment to run it will mean a higher gas bill, even with the "kiddie pool" alternative I will need a gas generator to run the sump pump, thus more oil usage, more exhaust pollution to pump out in the atmosphere. We will have to get a bigger service truck once again to pull all this extra equipment around! Think about it this way the department set up to help air-quality is forcing me to pollute the "air" even more. This is what it was set up originally to do air-quality, to reduce emissions now they say use and pollute more to pollute less. I hope I made sense out of the last statement it is so ridiculous it is hard to put into words, because it is madness.
It is prime-time to get this proposed law passed, with a self serving administration who owes big favours to the environmentalist and other contributors, this lame duck administration will start pushing things through. Giving power to those who need not have it. That is why is has been a big secrete, that is why it is being pushed through quickly, that is why it was cloaked till now. We can all stand up and say this is not right, but we're a small bunch of contractors that are so fractured that a united stance is going to be hard given our time reference.
This blog could go on and on but it is up to each of us to do what we can. I'm just calling it out here, pointing out a few things I feel strong on. Will I help to fight this? yes, but being a one-man operation how loud of voice do I have? I will use it as much as I can.
Just for the sake of a sale, for the sake of a few more federal or local dollars these proposed laws will hurt the power washing contractor and all their customers. The impact will be more reaching than they ever expected. If cost rise too much, which they will have to, customers will not have things cleaned. We saw this on the commercial side of the business during the so called "recession" customers cut back some even stopped having their storefronts and concrete cleaned. When it came down to saving a dollar and making go at profits businesses will find something to cut. If cost for cleaning gets to high, will we see this again? I believe so. This law if enacted will have a reaching effect that will not stop with just "cosmetic cleaning" it will reach and morph into areas you can not imagine.
Now for the flip side do I believe in helping the environment? Cleaned by Pete has blogged about this several time before. I have written about how we uses less water, oil, gas, cleaners / soap, how much faster, we as professional power washers are and what we can do for our customers. Cleaned by Pete invested in new equipment and just built the "small footprint" service truck. YES I believe in being "Eco friendly" we take being good stewards of the earth seriously as do most professional power washing contractors. Will vacuuming up used washed water around a customers home help the earth? Will hauling it to sights to dump it help the earth? Will paying for more equipment that will pollute the air more and having to use a large truck and trailer help the earth? Will paying the government fees and dumping cost help the earth? Will paying manufactures for unproven equipment really help the earth? Will saying hot water is pollutant help the earth? These are the questions you should be asking,
Common scene will help the earth something the government knows nothing about. Each of us doing their part will make the difference. A mandatory law saying you do this or else, fear and intimidation to make a few dollars is not going to help the earth. We all know that fear, intimidation and trowing money around is the government fix to everything. I am almost to the end of the road and will hopefully make it to retirement in a few years at least partial retirement. I would like to go out as a power washer but if these proposed law's become effective I really feel that it will be the end of the road for Cleaned by Pete as a power washing company. Do I have a plan fight it? Well as much as I can, with the only weapon I have, just common sense and hope for the best. If not I'll be starting on getting the "food truck" back on the road, to make a living from.
Rant is now over I hope that I did not offend others or followers of the blog. Walking a line sometimes is hard but keeping quite when you need to be shouting something is not being true to one's self. I feel Cleaned by Pete is doing what he can to help and that paying fees and buying new equipment is stepping us backwards in our efforts to be more "Eco Friendly". This may put a spotlight on me but so be it I have a right to say or input my opinion on this matter the same as that governmental department that has run amuck, same as the environmentalist, the same as any business man pushing equipment, hauling waste, or the same as those who want fees and money gained from it be it a individual, business or government. A new mandated law, for what I am doing and trying to do now, out of choice to being eco friendly while trying to make a living, does not make sense.
Thank you I'm out.
This blog was updated 5/20/14
