Realized I was tossing wash water down the storm drain for years

Last month I was cleaning out my mop bucket and noticed the suds running straight into the grate by the curb. Turns out that water goes directly into the creek behind my neighborhood, not the treatment plant. Anyone else ever mess up something basic like that without even thinking about it?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_burns12d ago

Same thing happened to me. I started dumping dirty paint brush water down the driveway for years before my neighbor stopped me. Felt like an idiot when I found out it all goes right into the local stream. Now I just let buckets sit overnight so solids settle out. Then I pour the clear water onto my lawn and toss the solids in the trash.

karen_sanchez4912d ago

@miles_burns you let the solids sit overnight? I tried that but the sediment never fully settled for me. Had to start filtering mine through an old t-shirt. Works okay but takes forever. Ever thought about just using less paint to begin with? I started measuring my mixes more carefully. Way less waste overall.

grays1311d ago

Yeah @karen_sanchez49 how many times did you filter that t-shirt stuff before you gave up?