Motor Vehicle Waste Disposal Wells

On this page:

 Motor vehicle wate

disposal wells discharge to shallow ground water and may contaminate nearby drinking
water sources.What is a motor vehicle waste disposal well?
 What Is motor vehicle waste and why are these wells regulated?
 How do I know if I have a motor vehicle waste disposal well?
 What are the requirements for motor vehicle waste disposal wells?
 Are there other options besides closing my motor vehicle waste disposal well?
 What are the requirements for closing a motor vehicle waste disposal well?
 What is the deadline for complying with the ban or getting a permit?
 What do I do with the motor vehicle waste after closing my well?

If you own or operate a motor vehicle waste disposal well that receives or has received fluids
from vehicle repair or maintenance activities, you should read this section. Some of these wells
may be banned or need to meet new requirements.

Motor vehicle waste disposal wells are used by the following types of businesses:

 Automotive service stations

 New and used car dealers
 Auto body shops
 Muffler repair shops
 Truck stops
 Boat yards
 Vehicle repair home businesses
 Transmission repair shops
 Car and truck rental agencies
 Light airplane maintenance facilities
 Farm machinery dealers
 Railroad maintenance facilities
What is a motor vehicle waste disposal well?

A motor vehicle waste disposal well is a shallow disposal system that receives fluids from
vehicle repair or maintenance activities in the types of shops listed above. Motor vehicle waste
disposal wells are regulated as Class V injection wells.

Typical motor vehicle waste disposal wells are floor drains or sinks in service bays that connect
to a septic system or dry well. However, any underground system that receives motor vehicle
waste is considered to be a motor vehicle waste disposal well. For example, cesspools,
catchbasins, and sink holes are considered motor vehicle waste disposal wells if they receive
motor vehicle waste.

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What is motor vehicle waste and why are these wells regulated?

During normal vehicle repair and maintenance, fluids such as engine oil or solvents may drip or
spill into floor drains or sinks in service areas. Motor vehicle wastes include:

 Engine oil
 Transmission fluid
 Power steering fluid
 Brake fluid
 Antifreeze
 Solvents
 Degreasers

If you dispose of these fluids through a motor vehicle waste disposal well, they may contaminate
ground water. Therefore, EPA regulates these wells to prevent ground water contamination in
certain areas.

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How do I know if I have a motor vehicle waste disposal well?

Answer the following questions to determine if you have a motor vehicle waste disposal well.

Questions: If Your Answer is Yes... If Your Anwer is No...

1. Does your facility service motor You are not affected by the
vehicles?Examples: cars, trucks, buses, Go to question 2. rule. Stop here.
motorcycles, powerboats, all terrain
 Answer the following questions to determine if you have a motor vehicle waste disposal well.

Questions: If Your Answer is Yes... If Your Anwer is No...

vehicles, snowmobiles, farm tractors,

construction machineries, trains,
helicopters, airplanes, jet skis, and
other motorized vehicles.

2. Does your facility have floor drains or You are not affected by the
Go to question 3.
sinks in the vehicle service areas? rule. Stop here.

3. Are all of your floor drains and sinks

You are not affected by
connected to a municipal sewer? (see Go to question 4.
the rule. Stop here.
note below)

You are not affected by

4. Are all of your floor drains and
the rule. Stop
sinks connected to a holding tank, and
here. (However, you may
is the waste in the holding tank Go to question 5.
be subject to other state
disposed of off-site?
or federal disposal
(see note below)
requirements.)

You are not affected by You may be disposing of motor

5. Are you discharging all of your motor
vehicle service wastewater directly to
surface waters or onto land? (see note
below)
the rule. Stop here. vehicle service wastewater into a
(However, you may be shallow disposal system such as a
subject to other state or septic system or drywell and thus
federal disposal have a motor vehicle waste disposal
requirements.) well.

Note: Any plans for your building that show wastewater flow may not necessarily reflect the
actual construction of your wastewater system. They also may not include renovations made
after your shop was built. Your local health department or a plumber using dye or smoke tests
may be able to help you determine where your drain goes.

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What are the requirements for motor vehicle waste disposal wells?

Motor vehicle waste disposal wells are banned in the following cases:

 Nationwide if the well was constructed after April 5, 2000

 They are in ground water protection areas. Ground water protection areas are areas near public
water systems that provide ground water used for drinking
  They are in other sensitive ground water areas. Other sensitive ground water areas are those
areas outside of ground water protection areas that need protection from motor vehicle waste
disposal wells
 Throughout states that have opted to entirely ban motor vehicle waste disposal wells

Check with your permitting authority to find out if your motor vehicle waste disposal well is in a
ground water protection or other sensitive ground water area (or to find out if wells are banned
statewide). The permitting authority may also notify you directly that you are in one of these
areas.

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Are there other options besides closing my motor vehicle waste disposal well?

Some states may waive the ban and allow you to continue using the well if you apply for and
receive a permit. If you are granted a waiver, you must follow the procedures outlined in your
permit. At a minimum, permits require the following.

 Waste fluids must meet drinking water standards called Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs)
at the point of injection. This means that shop wastewater, before it is discharged into the
ground, must not exceed any MCL.
 You implement the best management practices described in your permit to minimize the
amount of contaminants in your shop wastewater.
 You monitor the wastewater being discharged into the ground and sludge to ensure continued
compliance with MCLs, as required by your permit. This requirement may mean taking a sample
of the wastewater once a year (or as specified in the permit) and sending it to a laboratory for
analysis.

If your wastewater does not meet drinking water standards, you have two options:

 Install “pretreatment equipment” that treats the wastewater before it goes to the drain
 Close the well according to the permitting authority’s directions

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What are the requirements for closing a motor vehicle waste disposal well?

If you must close your well, you must do so in a way that prevents contamination of ground
water. Contact your permitting authority to find out if there are any additional requirements you
must meet. In closing your well, take these steps.

 Write to your permitting authority at least 30 days before you close the well.
 Ask what information you must provide.
  You may be asked to fill out a pre-closure notification form or inventory form or write a letter
saying that you plan to close the well.

Permanently plug or otherwise close the well in a way that is approved by the permitting
authority and that ensures ground water is protected.

 Dispose of or manage any soil, gravel, sludge, liquids, or other materials removed from your well
or the area around the well according to all federal, state and local requirements. Your
permitting authority should have information about specific requirements in your state.

Your permitting authority may have additional requirements for well closure. Before closing
your well, contact the authority for guidance. It is your responsibility to find out what the
requirements are.

Example: If your floor drains are connected to your septic system, you may be required to clean
out the drains and the pipes running to the septic tank and seal them off using cement. You may
also need to have a licensed or certified septic service check the contents of your septic tank to
see if there is any contaminated sludge. You may be required to sample surrounding soils and
ground water to ensure there is no contamination. After this is done, the septic system can be
used for sanitary waste from bathrooms.

Review and download a copy of the pre-closure notification form.

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What is the deadline for complying with the ban or getting a permit?

The deadline for complying with the ban (or obtaining a permit) varies from state to state.
Contact your permitting authority to find out by when you will need to comply.

What do I do with the motor vehicle waste after closing my well?

After you close your well, manage your motor vehicle service wastewater with one of the
methods below.

 Dry shops: Minimize the use of water to clean service bays. Use absorbents and vacuums to pick
up spills and drips. Dispose of these materials according to state guidelines and regulations.
Place all used vehicle fluids in individual containers for proper off-site management.
 Holding tanks: Store the motor vehicle waste in a service bay wastewater holding tank. The tank
can be periodically pumped out for proper disposal. You may minimize the amount of
wastewater that has to be stored by separating shop wastewater from sanitary and vehicle
washing wastewater—and by cutting back on the amount of water used in your shop.
  Sanitary sewer hookups: Contact the local sewer authority about the possibility of connecting
floor drains to the sewer system. Often, system hook-up may be available even though it was
not an option when the service bays were built. Sewer hookups can be expensive, however. If
connecting to a sanitary sewer will take time to complete, you may be able to extend the
deadline for closing your well for up to one year. However, you must get special permission to
do this, and you probably will need a temporary operating permit.
 Conversion: In some cases, you may be allowed to convert a motor vehicle waste disposal well
to another type of Class V well. This option requires that all motor vehicle fluids be kept away
from drains using physical barriers that prevent the waste from entering the well.

https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/uic/motor-vehicle-waste-disposal-wells_.html#what_is