Jun 22 2006
Concrete Washout Systems, Inc. (CWS), announced today that the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a fact sheet outlining the Best Management Practices (BMPs) for the containment of concrete washout liquids and solids that result from the cleaning of concrete trucks and pumps. The fact sheet highlights the importance of proper containment of concrete washout at construction sites, "The wash water is alkaline and contains high levels of chromium, which can leach into the ground and contaminate groundwater. It can also migrate to a storm drain, which can increase the pH of area waters and harm aquatic life."
in a location that allows convenient access for concrete trucks, preferably near the area where the concrete is being poured.
In addition to consequences of concrete washout pollution, the fact sheet outlines the problems typically associated with self-installed washout facilities, "… self-installed structures are much less reliable than prefabricated containers and are prone to leaks." The EPA fact sheet also recommends that washouts be placed "in a location that allows convenient access for concrete trucks, preferably near the area where the concrete is being poured."
Mark Jenkins, President of Concrete Washout Systems, Inc, stated, "The EPA fact sheet highlights the advantages of our portable, patent-pending product, over previous methods that were expensive, hard to maintain and prone to leakage. We pride ourselves in helping builders easily cope with an otherwise difficult compliance problem." Jenkins continued, "Previous to the development of our product, builders were forced to build plastic-lined pits surrounded by hay bales. When these pits failed, the caustic washout liquid could seep into ground water or, even worse, storm drains, which puts fish and other aquatic life at risk. Additionally these methods typically did not allow for the easy recycling of the hardened concrete as our system does."
The Concrete Washout System, which is delivered on a standard roll-off truck, is a portable, self-contained and watertight container that can be moved throughout the worksite as needed.
The Concrete Washout System is licensed to independently owned and operated CWS partners. CWS is accepting applications for licensed partners in select markets. Currently Concrete Washout Systems has licensed partners operating in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Texas.