Most fast food restaurants and other facilities now offer drive-thru lanes where patrons can place and pick up orders.
 
Over time, these lanes become soiled, and they are typically cleaned either with a pressure washer or a powerful cleaning solution, water, and deck brushes.
 
However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is warning these facilities in certain parts of the country that they may face significant fines if the wastewater generated by this type of cleaning is not properly disposed of. According to the EPA,  Section 301 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) prohibits a point source discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States.
 
In essence, this means that if the wastewater is allowed to run into the street or down a storm drain or in some way reaches an underground water body, the facility owners may be cited.
 
"Not only is the drive-thru lane soiled and contaminated, often with grease, oil, spills, and food, the chemicals used to clean the drive-thru can be very potent and toxic," says Matt Morrison, communications manager for cleaning equipment maker, Kaivac. "Allowing these pollutants to reach sewers and waterways can prove very harmful."

In fact, the EPA says doing so is the same as "putting it directly into the water body receiving the storm drain discharge," which can prove injurious to aquatic life and vegetation, and this wastewater can possibly even find its way to freshwater storage sites.
 
Food service facilities with drive-thrus have essentially two options, according to the EPA, to stay in compliance with these regulations:


    •    Allow the wastewater to evaporate and not reach surrounding soil, streets, or storm drains; or
    •    Vacuum up the process water so that it can be properly disposed of using a dispense-and-vac cleaning system.

"While evaporation may work in some areas, one of the most effective way to remove wastewater is to vacuum it up," says Morrison. "Using one [cleaning] system that can both clean the drive-thru and then vacuum up and contain the wastewater for proper disposal is probably the safest and most cost-effective way to go to keep the EPA at bay."
 
Kaivac is headquartered in Hamilton, Ohio.