FAQ
System Information
- How do VANISH systems work?
- How many gallons of wastewater can be treated per day?
- What do the supplies cost per gallon?
- Is it true that some recycle systems will get increased scrutiny from environmental compliance authorities because of their inability to reduce heavy metal content to acceptable levels?
- How is the precipitate disposed of in an environmentally friendly way?
- Can the treated wastewater be discharged to sewer?
- I hear some systems treated water soon begins to smell awful. How do VANISH systems control odor?
- What about service?
- Is it hard to prepare and mix the chemicals?
- Does CMS offer set-up and training?
- Will Clean Marine Solutions help with environmental compliance permitting if it is required?
- Does Clean Marine Solutions offer customization?
Environmental Concerns
- What are the concerns about wastewater generated from power-washing boats?
- How much toxic copper and other heavy metal does power-wash wastewater contain?
- What is the negative effect on marine life?
How do VANISH systems work?
Almost all VANISH system operations are controlled by the systems’ PLC (programmable logic controller). The PLC starts and stops pumps, monitors the treatment process and its LED screen displays instructions if the operator must perform a manual task, e.g. open or close a valve.
The chemical treatment process used by the VANISH is called flocculation. The process is not new. Flocculation chemistry has been used successfully for decades world-wide. Clean Marine Solutions has tweaked the chemistry to specifically treat the toxins in boatyard powerwash wastewater and we have scaled and tailored the process to be easily operated by boatyard personnel.
Clean Marine Solutions offers a variety of system configurations to meet the treatment capacity requirements of almost any boatyard or marina.
- If a marina washes ten – 60 footers per day, CMS has the solution
- If a marina washes only a few boats per week, CMS has the solution
- If a marina is allowed to discharge treated wastewater to sewer, CMS has the solution
- If a marina chooses to recycle the clarified water, CMS has the solution.
The average size marina will want our VANISH 300. It is described below.
At the push of the FILL button the VANISH system sump pump is activated and will pump raw wastewater as needed from the sump to the treatment tank.
At a push of the TREAT button a mixer activates to stir the wastewater throughout the treatment process.
The VANISH uses three chemicals. Each is easily prepared on-site using pre-measured concentrates.
Within minutes after the mixer cuts off, treated wastewater drawn from the sampling spigot will clearly show that the heavy metals and suspended solids are quickly settling into the bottom of the container.
The sludge is drained from the bottom of the cone-bottomed tank and dewatered by through a filter. After dewatering, the sludge is set out to dry on a pad provided with the system.
At the push of the Transfer button the clarified wastewater is transferred to the holding tank for disinfecting and recycling. Some locales will permit discharge to municipal sewer.
Large facilities that powerwash more than four 60-foot boats per day may choose our VANISH MaxiFlow™. The MaxiFlow™ adds a settling tank that is plumbed in between the sump pump and the treatment tank. It also adds an auto-run button to the control panel that automatically moves wastewater from the through the system.
How many gallons of wastewater can be treated per day?
About 2,800. One reason VANISH Systems are easy to operate and maintain is that the wastewater is treated in batches. Our standard VANISH 300 can transform about 2,800 gallons of toxic heavy-metal laden wastewater into clarified “processed” water with less heavy metals then the EPA standard for drinking water in a day.
We have found this rate is more than adequate for the average size marina or boatyard. (We also have larger systems that are capable of treating larger batches.)
What do the supplies cost per gallon?
The chemicals and filters cost approximately 2.25 cents per gallon*
(*Like all commodities, chemical and filter costs may fluctuate)
Is it true that some recycle systems will get increased scrutiny from environmental compliance authorities because of their inability to reduce heavy metal content to acceptable levels?
Yes. There is growing concern from environmental compliance authorities that the heavy-metal concentrations in some recycling systems are too high. Some systems on the market are simply not designed to remove dissolved metals to the extent necessary for easy compliance.
Buying a recycle system that has been designed in anticipation of tougher standards is the best choice.
How is the precipitate disposed of in an environmentally friendly way?
The metals and particulate settle to the bottom of the cone-bottomed treatment tank. The operator opens a valve and the sludge is drained through a dewatering filter. After dewatering, the sludge is set on a pad provided to dry.
Many municipalities will permit the disposal of the dry precipitate as a non-hazardous waste, which means it may be permissible to dispose of the precipitate along with other yard trash.
Landfill managers typically ask for a TCLIP test (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching
Procedure). This test shows how much of the compounds of concern in the dried precipitate will leach out into the landfill.
The VANISH process binds the heavy metals in the dried particulate to a degree that leaching is not typically a concern. Contact us and we will send TCLIP test results to your landfill operator to see if they will accept the precipitate.
Can the treated wastewater be discharged to sewer?
In some jurisdictions, a permit may be granted to dispose of the clarified wastewater into the municipal sewer. Clean Marine Solutions will be glad to review the wastewater quality standards in your area. The effluent (clarified wastewater leaving the treatment tank) from the VANISH systems will very likely meet the technical standards for discharge to sewer. Many municipalities water systems deliver water to homes with more copper than is typically found in the VANISH effluent.
But an increasing number of municipalities do not allow any industrial wastewater to be deposed of through their sewer system, And municipalities that do allow discharge to sewer may make permitting so difficult and costly that the better option is to recycle.
If the customer receives approval to discharge to sewer, there is usually no need to kill micro-organisms. In this case, a holding tank and the water purifying components are an unnecessary expense.
If discharge to sewer is ever prohibited, our recycling components easily connect to the treatment system.
I hear that in some systems the recycled water soon begins to smell awful. How do VANISH systems control odor?
Our Ultraviolet Zap™ Processed Water Purification System is a hospital grade ultraviolet purification system. Virtually all microorganisms are susceptible to ultraviolet disinfection. Ultraviolet water purification has become well established as the method of choice for effective and economical water disinfection in the hospital and the food processing industries. In addition, a small quantity of bromine disinfectant is added. The wastewater is periodically recirculated through the whole disinfectant system to prevent microorganisms from developing.
Our UV and chemical disinfectant systems leaves you assured that your personnel are powerwashing safely with highly purified water.
What about service?
Take a close look at the VANISH system. You will see that many of the components (tanks, pumps, basic plumbing valves and motors) can be serviced by your staff. The electronic components are similar to marine electronic components – if a component goes bad, unplug it and plug in the new one.
Our technical staff is available 24 / 7.
Is it hard to prepare and mix the chemicals?
No. Clean Marine Solutions provides chemicals in pre-measured quantities. We also provide a graduated 5-gallon mixing bucket for each of the three chemicals.
Let’s take the cationic solution for example. The operator simply empties the cationic container into the 5- gallon cationic mixing bucket and adds tap water to the mark indicated on the bucket.
Does CMS offer set-up and training?
Training and setup are typically not needed – but it is an available option.
Will Clean Marine Solutions help with environmental compliance permitting if it is required?
Yes. We have a lot of experience with environmental regulating authorities. We have answers to most questions and certified test results we will share with your compliance regulators.
Environmental compliance authorities came to observe a VANISH 300 installed in June of 2010. The boatyard was granted unprecedented fast-track permitting. This saved the yard thousands of dollars because they did not have to incur the high costs associated with the full permitting process. Even greater savings were realized because they were not required to have a licensed wastewater operator on staff. Clean Marine Solutions’ Powerwash Wastewater Recycle Compliance Template may save you many compliance headaches.*
*Note: We cannot guarantee that your marine service facility will be granted fast-track permitting. Standards change per locale.
Does Clean Marine Solutions offer customization?
Yes. One size does not fit all. We do not want you to buy any components that you do not need.
Give us a call – we believe you will find –
The VANISH 300 is the clear choice
in Marina Powerwash Wastewater Treatment & Recycle Systems
&
Clean Marine Solutions may save your yard thousands of dollars and much aggravation by serving as your
Environmental Compliance Partner
david@cleanmarinesolutions.com (910) 617 8018
What are the concerns about wastewater generated from power-washing boats?
The greatest concern about powerwash wastewater is the amount and toxicity of heavy metals released into our waterways.
Anti-fouling paints on boat bottoms contain heavy metals. The heavy metal most common used is copper in the form of cuprous oxide. Copper is a biocide that prevents marine life from attaching to boat bottoms. Anti-fouling paints are good for the environment in the role of significantly decreasing fuel consumption and green house gas emissions by reducing hull drag.
The problem is that heavy metals, even in very low concentrations are toxic to marine life. When a boat is powerwashed, the wastewater generated contains a very high concentration of copper and other heavy metals.
How much toxic copper and other heavy metal does power-wash wastewater contain?
A study by the North Carolina Division of Water Quality found that average marine powerwash wastewater contains 207,000 ppb (parts per billion) of copper. Under the Federal Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency sets water quality standards for all contaminants discharged to surface waters. The CWA limit for copper discharge is 3 ppb copper in wastewater discharged to surface waters.
If your facility is allowing bottom-wash wastewater to flow into waterways, you could be violating the Federal Clean Water Act copper limit by a factor of 69,000.
Allowing the wastewater to flow onto your property is not a viable solution. The heavy metals will likely be washed into adjacent waterways every time there is a heavy rain. Most state environmental regulatory authorities require testing of stormwater.
What is the negative effect on marine life?
Oysters, clams, and mussels bio-accumulate copper. Mollusks can take copper in but they cannot metabolize it. Reproduction and thus harvesting yields are negatively impacted.
The negative effect on the overall environment bio-magnifies, meaning the initial negative effect multiplies. For example, oysters improve water quality as they filter the water for their food. An adult oyster can filter as much as 50 gallons of water a day. They are very good at filtering and converting nitrates from fertilizer run-off into harmless insoluble pellets.
Whole bays have been cleaned by seeding oysters in lifeless waters. When heavy metals accumulate in mollusks and their filtration system is impaired, water quality diminishes because the mollusks become inefficient in filtering the water. In addition, because mollusks are primary producers on the food chain, heavy metals concentrate as they move up the food chain to other species.
With heavy-metal pollution we are killing a wonderful creature that works 24 / 7 to clean our water as well as creating a long-term economic negative impact on sea-life, boating, fishing and tourism.