Commission Chairman Bert Perello said the city is doing everything it can with its staff and resources in the area of car washing. (Photo by Chris Frost)
Oxnard—The Public Works and Transportation Committee received an update on Tuesday, October 22, on the city’s mobile car wash and enforcement activities.
ASSISTANT Public Works Director Tim Beaman presented the update, saying the city is operating under a Regional Phase 1 Municipal Storm Sewer System (MS4), the legal requirement for communities with a population of 100,000 or more.
“The MS4 permit is intended to protect our waterways and minimize the discharge of harmful pollutants,” he said. “Mobile car washing can be classified as commercial and non-commercial, each with its own set of regulatory requirements and enforcement measures.”
He said Oxnard’s MS4 permit describes exempt and non-exempt stormwater drainage activities, and non-commercial car washing is an exempt activity.
“It allows Oxnard residents to wash and dispose of their own vehicles into the sewer system, provided they comply,” he said. “However, commercial mobile car washing activities are not exempt and may not be discharged into the stormwater system. The washing water must be collected and discharged at a legal disposal point. Dewatering of declarative fountains, non-commercial car washing by residents or non-profits, and street and sidewalk wash water.”
He said drainage lakes, landscape irrigation, the dechlorinated, debrominated swimming pool and spas not otherwise regulated by a separate NPDES permit are exempt from the discharge ban, provided that the source of the pollutants will cause an exceedance of applicable limitations or will contribute to this.
He said the conditions for exempt discharges of non-storm water (best management practices) include avoiding the discharge of potential pollutants into the path flow and preventing the introduction of pollutants prior to the discharge of MS4 and the receiving water.
“It minimizes the amount of water by using conservation methods, automatic shut-offs for sprinklers, kinking and shutting off the hose when not in use,” he said. “We encourage the use of biodegradable, phosphate-free cleaners and non-toxic cleaning products, and whenever possible, wash cars on a permeable surface where wash water can seep into the soil, gravel or lawns, and flush empty soapy buckets or water into the plumbing system .”
The city of Oxnard’s discharge ordinance further specifies discharge prohibitions, and he said commercial and industrial activities may not discharge into the storm drainage system and must discharge stormwater to a legal discharge point.
“Discharges from mobile car washing, carpet cleaning, steam cleaning, sandblasting and other similar mobile commercial and industrial activities should not enter the storm drainage system,” he said.
The minimum BMPs (Best Management Practices) for mobile car washes are complete containment under and around the vehicle being washed, and he said that requires capturing all water used in washing operations and disposing of the collected water to a legal disposal point is.
“Code Compliance Officers respond to complaints about car washes and other unauthorized vendors, although several challenges to effective enforcement remain due to a number of factors; the lack of Code compliance authority to enforce supplier identification necessary to take administrative action,” Beaman said. “Code Compliance cannot force a supplier to leave its location. Salespeople leave and return a short time later because of their knowledge of limited staff resources and follow-up visits.”
Under the Oxnard City Code, he said every business in the city requires a business tax certificate and an issued license sticker must be placed on the vehicle with the current year.
“A mobile car wash must fully accommodate containment, which is necessary when not in use at the point of contact,” he said. “Discharges from mobile car washes can be verified.”
Beaman said Oxnard police have the ability to force identification, calm aggressive vendors and address violations when private property owners give them permission.
He noted that the City of Oxnard has a full-time Code Compliance Officer who addresses licensing issues.
“The staff is trained to enforce all aspects of city code, conduct investigations and issue citations,” he said. “Rijkswaterstaat, as a substantive expert, tackles unauthorized discharge into the sewer system.”
Beaman said the update was a group effort.
“We have source control under wastewater that works with our MS4 permit, and Jeff Pengilley works with Code Compliance to help enforce these rules,” Beaman said.
Commission member Mayor John Zaragoza asked if the municipally separated storm system is mandated.
“My understanding is that there are two types of classifications: commercial and non-commercial,” he said.
Beaman noted that every commercial car wash is a business with a van or truck, with the company name and company number.
“They are a mobile unit and they go around and wash cars in a certain area,” he said. “Some will move from place to place and go to people’s homes. The difference between that and a non-commercial business is that they are doing it to make a profit, and a non-commercial business would be a resident washing their car in the driveway in front of their house and also charity car washes.
