Best Practices for Keeping Our Stormwater Clean
Cleaning and Maintenance Activities: Review cleaning and maintenance activities to reduce runoff into the storm drain system, especially in outdoor areas like parking lots, loading docks and maintenance yards. Keep trash enclosures swept and trash bin lids closed.
Employee Training: Train employees to wash vehicles and equipment indoors in a wash rack that is connected to the sanitary sewer or off-site at a commercial wash facility. Train janitorial staff to dispose floor cleaning water in the sewer and not into the parking lot. Make sure that cooling towers, boilers, compressors, water softeners and other process equipment are connected to the sanitary sewer and do not discharge wastewater into the parking lot.
Hazardous Material Handling: If you use hazardous materials in your business, like ink and solvents for commercial printing, or polishes and chemicals for car detailing or manufacturing after-market accessories, do not put these hazardous materials in the trash or pour them into the gutter. Take them to be recycled safely. Store chemicals, wastes, raw materials and contaminated equipment indoors or in a covered, spill contained area, to prevent exposing these materials to stormwater.
Take advantage of less-toxic alternatives. From detergents to drain openers, there are a lot of ways to get the same or better result without having to rely on toxic substances.
