DAWSON CREEK, British Columbia — The owner of Legacy Car and Truck Wash is exploring alternate options to dumping the water cleaned off vehicles into the city’s sewage treatment system, according to Alaskahighwaynews.ca.
The city has banned carwashes from dumping mud, grit and grime into its sewage treatment system, noted the article. The town could face federal fines or criminal charges if the contaminants were allowed into the environment.
The carwash’s owner, Cameron Schulz, said in the article he’ll have to find another place to dispose of the waste. His current options are too expensive – he says he can’t pass off the cost to the customer.
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The Environment Management Act imposes strict penalties upon municipalities that allow untreated sewage into the environment, stated the article. The rules consider carwash grit especially harmful.
Fort St. John closed its septic receiving facility last year after officials caught people trying to dump into the system, reported the article. The city discontinued accepting carwash grit several years ago.
Dawnson Creek has applied for funding to build a $3.6 million trucked waste receiving facility, shared the article. With the system, carwash grit would be treated, resulting in clean dirt that could be dumped in a landfill.
"I get it's associated with liability, and [the city is] doing what they can," asserted Schulz in the article. "But the more people involved to help with the situation, the better solution we'll have. We've got to get a solution quickly.”
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