What Contra Costa homeowners should know
Where does the water go when you pressure wash?
In Contra Costa County, only rain should go down a storm drain. Storm drains carry water straight to creeks, the Bay and the Delta. Nothing cleans it on the way.
If you hire a pressure washer, the county holds you responsible for what your washer lets into the drain. So ask how they will handle the water before they start.
This goes for any driveway cleaning or commercial pressure washing job.
Why storm drains matter here
The county's clean water program puts it plainly: "It's illegal to let anything other than rainwater go down a storm drain."
Every city here is covered by the Bay Area's regional stormwater permit. That permit makes each city enforce its own stormwater rules.
Brentwood's stormwater report, for one, lists outdoor pressure washing among the things it keeps in check.
What the county asks mobile cleaners to do
- Block off storm drains.
- Contain the wash area with sandbags, mats or berms.
- Collect the wash water.
- Send collected water to a sewer drain only if the sewer district allows it.
- When rinsing with just a hose and no soap, let the water run onto lawn or plants.
Breaking these rules can mean a ticket, or fines that add up each day.
You're responsible too
Contra Costa County says people and businesses that hire mobile surface cleaners are "ultimately responsible for any discharges from their contractor."
In plain words: if your washer lets dirty water into the storm drain, it can come back on you.
The county also says wash water "must never be allowed to enter the storm drain system."
Five questions to ask any pressure washer
- Where will the wash water go?
- Will you block the storm drain near my home?
- Will you use soap on this surface?
- Where does the collected water end up?
- Are you on BASMAA's list of recognized surface cleaners?
BASMAA runs a free training for surface cleaners: a 16-minute video and a short quiz. The certificate lasts one year. Then it has to be renewed.
Who runs the sewer in your town
- Brentwood: the city runs its own wastewater plant.
- Antioch, Pittsburg and Bay Point: Delta Diablo.
- Oakley: Ironhouse Sanitary District.
- Discovery Bay: the Town of Discovery Bay Community Services District.
- Concord, Clayton, Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill: Central San.
- Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Danville and Alamo: also Central San.
- Byron: Byron Sanitary District.
Check with your district before any wash water goes into a sewer cleanout.
Water rules: what they say and what they don't
Brentwood Municipal Code 14.01.510 lists "the application of potable water to driveways, sidewalks and other hardscaped surfaces" as water waste, except for an immediate health and safety need.
In plain words: Brentwood counts hosing down hard ground with tap water as waste.
The Contra Costa Water District's standing rules ban washing driveways, sidewalks, parking areas and patios. The one exception is when not washing would cause a health or safety hazard.
EBMUD's Section 29 bans putting drinking water on sidewalks and driveways. It has the same kind of health and safety exception.
None of the rules we've read says how paid cleaning jobs are handled. So we won't tell you they're exempt. If you're not sure, ask your water supplier.
Services
Guides
Soft washing vs pressure washing
Which surfaces get a strong spray and which get low pressure.
When to clean your gutters in East Contra Costa
Local rain numbers and the signs your gutters need cleaning.
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