Storm Water Protection

Potential Pollutants

Many of the cleaning practices restaurants use will cause storm water quality impairments once the water is allowed to leave the property. Cleaning practices that allow grease, food waste, trash, and cleaning products to flow into the storm drain system contribute directly to the impairment of our water bodies. Some of the types of waste generated at restaurants and foodservice facilities include:

• Fats, oils, and grease
• Floor solvents
• Cleaning agents
• Cigarette butts
• Food waste
• Styrofoam

Tips for Preventing Pollution

Please refer to and follow these guidelines to help reduce pollutants from entering the stormwater system.

Inside Operations

• Pour wash water into a janitorial or mop sink. Do not pour it onto the parking lot, alley, street, or into a storm drain.
• Recycle grease and oil. Do not pour it into sinks, floor drains, or onto the parking lot or street.
• Clean floor mats, filters, and garbage cans in a mop sink or floor drain. Do not wash them in a parking lot, alley, or street.

Outside Operations

• Use dry methods for clean-up (sweeping, dry absorbents, etc.) and place solid waste in the dumpster. Do not hose or spray down sidewalks and parking lot.
• Keep the dumpster area clean and the lid closed. Do not fill it with liquid waste or hose it out. Make sure the clean-out plug has not been removed and that the dumpster is not leaking.

Potential Pollutants

Automotive maintenance facilities are considered storm water “hot spots” producing significant loads of hydrocarbons, trace metals, and other pollutants. Wastes generated in automobile maintenance facilities and by residents performing their own car maintenance include:

• Solvents (paints and paint thinners)
• Antifreeze
• Brake fluid and brake lining
• Batteries
• Motor oils
• Fuels (gasoline, diesel, kerosene)
• Lubricating grease

Tips for Preventing Pollution

Please refer to and follow these guidelines to help reduce pollutants from entering the stormwater system.

Waste Reduction

• Minimize the number of solvents used to make recycling easier and to reduce hazardous waste management costs.
• Do all liquid cleaning at a centralized station to ensure that solvents and residues stay in one area.
• Locate drip pans and draining boards to direct solvents back into solvent sink or holding tank for reuse.

Use Safer Alternatives

• Use non-hazardous cleaners when possible.
• Replace chlorinated organic solvents with non-chlorinated ones like kerosene or mineral spirits.
• Purchase recycled products such as engine oil, transmission fluid, antifreeze, and hydraulic fluid to support the recycled products market.

Spill Clean Up

• Use as little water as possible to clean spills leaks, and drips.
• Use rags to clean small spills, dry absorbent material for larger spills, and a mop for general cleanup. Mop water can be disposed of via the sink or toilet to the sanitary sewer.
• Have absorbent pads and booms on hand for spill response.

Good Housekeeping

• Employee training and public outreach are necessary to reinforce proper disposal practices.
• Conduct maintenance work such as fluid changes indoors.
• Update facility schematics to accurately reflect all plumbing connections.
• Monitor parked vehicles for leaks, and place pans under leaks to collect the fluids for proper disposal or recycling.
• Promptly transfer used fluids to recycling drums or hazardous waste containers.
• Do not pour liquid waste down floor drains, sinks, or outdoor storm drain inlets.
• Obtain and use drain mats to cover drains in the event of a spill.
• Store cracked batteries in leak-proof secondary containers.
• Keep dumpster areas clean and free of hazardous wastes.

Parts Cleaning

• Use detergent-based or water-based cleaning systems instead of organic solvent degreasers.
• Use steam cleaning and pressure washing instead of cleaning parts with solvent. The wastewater generated from steam cleaning can be discharged to the on-site oil/water separator.
• Drain oil filters and other parts before recycling.

Tips for Preventing Pollution

Never discharge pool or spa water to a street, alley, or storm drain.

• When emptying a pool or spa, let chlorine dissipate for 5 to 7 days. Then recycle the water by gradually draining it onto a landscaped area.
• Chlorinated water may be discharged into the sanitary sewer system by running a hose to a utility sink or to a sewer pipe cleanout junction.
• Do not use copper-based algaecides. Control algae with chlorine or other alternatives to copper-based chemicals. Copper is harmful to aquatic life and cannot be completely removed by the sewage treatment plant.