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Staff warns car-wash operations can overwhelm local sewer pretreatment; urges larger grit/grease controls
Summary
Industrial pretreatment staff told the council that several high-use car-wash facilities are producing flows up to 25,000 gpd and that car-wash grit and grease sizing needs to be larger than restaurant traps to avoid sewer line clogging and backups in West Warwick’s system.
Industrial pretreatment staff reviewed June compliance and plan-review activity and highlighted several car-wash sites with unusually high daily flows that may stress the regional collection system.
Staff reported that Moran (498 Washington Street) and other permitted users were generally compliant; Quality Food experienced lab testing delays and will resubmit quarterly samples. The presentation emphasized concerns about automatic car-wash operations that staff said can process hundreds of cars daily — one site was described as handling up to 500 cars and producing roughly 25,000 gallons per day — and noted that car washes require larger grit traps and different recovery systems than restaurants to prevent grit accumulation and sewer backups.
"The key is not the recycling, it's the grit," staff said, explaining that improperly sized grit devices allow sand and grit to pass into the collection system where it can cause clogging and backups, particularly in lines feeding West Warwick. Staff said they had audited files with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and were responding to minor comments from DEM.
