Upfront, DWQ (Div. of Water Quality) are not the “bad guys” in this. They have been trying to control power wash contamination for years and conducted a study in 2007 that provided the data they were looking for to quantify these new enforcement efforts. In 2008, the DWQ will start enforcing water quality criteria at all waterfront [and land-locked] boat facilities across the state – most likely starting with coastal facilities. More exactly, if your business provides wash down, sanding, sand blasting, painting, or pressure washing for boats or it builds boats, your business will be visited and the quality of that visit for you will depend on what you are doing or can demonstrate that you are planning to do in the immediate future. The “to do” is to contain the resulting residue and waters from these services so that any water that can find it’s way into the surface waters or navigable waters of the state meets the quality standards designated. And it is important to know that there is no possible way that any of the water from these services will ever meet these criteria.

 

This means that you will be manipulating and processing this residue-containing water by some third-party system that either contains the bad water and you ship it out by special and paid service or your wash areas become a car-wash-like service that collects and recycles the water until it is sludge and you then ship this sludge out by a paid service. This is really the sum of it without exception or wiggle room. It most likely means that you will be setting up a payment or revenue component associated with these wash services. 

 

To see what this is all about, you have to take the time to look at the testing information and the summaries provided by a quite thorough study by 
DQR. These can be found at the Clean Marina website http://www.nccoastalmanagement.net/Marinas/workshops.htm. At this site, click on the Pressure Washing Regulations & Requirements link and go through every slide, and pay attention to the Wash Water Results slide well into the slide show. What this says in simple terms is that your power wash and your hand wash efforts at your boat service business or boat building facility will never provide resulting waste water that can meet the 3 micro grams per liter Copper for salt water sites (or 7 micro grams per liter Copper for fresh water sites) criteria. End of discussion. 

 

Next click on the next link down: Pressure Washing Solutions and Economic Analysis. This link will take you through a study done by NC Sea Grant that discusses the technology, solutions, and economic analysis related to what your business will have to do in order to develop the strategy to meet the DWQ requirements. 

 

It would be exceptionally helpful here to be able to tell you what you need to do, what equipment you need to buy and how much it will cost you – but almost every answer is site specific and the unknowns outweigh the knowns at this time. There will be more soon from the DWQ as they will be writing a letter to every facility. The Clean Marina staff, NC Sea Grant staff DWQ staff will be working to provide you assistance. And our newsletter, website and special emails will try to keep you appraised of the status. 

 

Most owners understand the importance of controlling the powerwash residue and resulting contaminated water from traditional powerwash stations. The big hurdles are: (1) the difficulty and expense of retrofit for the existing yard needed to accommodate an acceptable washdown pit with sump and (2) the unknown (currently unknowable) mechanics, acceptable equipment and expense of meeting the NC requirements to respond to the less than 3 micrograms per liter of copper allowable in salt water locations. 

 

