Approximately 1,000 gallons of water flows through the trench beneath the washing lane, where sand and heavy debris are removed in the first step of reclamation. Here, Jimmy Branch's son, John, shows how the flow of water recovered from the washing lane (to right of yellow wall) is regulated through three successive 1,500 gallon settling tanks in the next step.
Water from the settling tanks is channeled repeatedly through an ozone filtering system to kill bacteria and remove traces of sediment, then transferred to re-use tanks on left for recycling through the car wash system. This is where fresh water is added to the system as it is required.
Jimmy Branch, owner of three car wash operations in the Panama City area and recent president of the International Carwash Association, made a presentation to the Stormwater/ Contaminants Project Leaders meeting on June 12, to provide background information on the role car washing plays in water use and pollutant contribution to the Bay.
The Stormwater/Contaminants Project is surveying the entire St. Andrew Bay watershed to identify sources of pollution and develop a watershed wide master plan for managing and improving water quality in the Bay.
According Mr. Branch, commercial car wash operations have been working for years to reduce water use and manage runoff. Today, all car wash operations in the Bay area are required to discharge waste water into the sanitary sewer system where it is transferred to a waste water treatment plant.
In Mr. Branch's newest and largest car wash facility in Panama City Beach, car wash water is captured and treated for re-use and only a small amount is eventually discharged into the sanitary sewer system. Each wash requires about 60 to 80 gals of water in this high-pressure system, but on average, only 7.7 gallons of this is fresh water. The balance is water from previous washings that has been treated for re-use.
Despite advances such as these in commercial car wash operations, car washing continues to be a significant source of contaminants in the watershed.
Studies have identified two major sources of these contaminants: driveway car washing and car washing as a fund-raising event. In both instances the water runoff almost always goes into the local stormwater system, not the sanitary sewer system. Effluent from the stormwater system is not treated by municipal treatment plants and eventually finds its way into the Bay.
The volume of water runoff from these activities is substantial. Studies report that over 40 percent of households wash cars in their driveway. If the individual uses a flow control nozzle on the hose, the car wash will use about 20 gallons of water. If there is no control nozzle and water runs continually during the wash, as much as 200 gallons of water will be used.
Studies show that even more water is used per car in fund-raising events.
This water flowing into the stormwater system contains not only the chemicals used to wash and polish the car, but also the dirt and grime washed from the car. In addition to mud and dirt, the washing process removes oils, grease, elements from brake linings, rust, trace amounts of benzene and possibly chromium. This heavy brew is headed for the Bay once it goes down the stormwater drain.
Mr. Branch noted that if homeowners wash their car on grass or gravel they can substantially reduce run off from their car washing.
The Stormwater/Contaminants Project will identify and measure sources of pollution such as this and incorporate the information into a data base, which will be used to develop prioritized Best Management Practices for the entire watershed area. The objective is to help assure that the money devoted to managing the quality of water flowing into the Bay will be directed to efforts where it will produce the greatest benefit.