Why should I care about a wellfield?
For many years we believed that our groundwater was protected from contamination by being underground. We now know that substances on the surface can seep down and contaminate our drinking water supply. As Central Indiana grows the only source of additional water will be the groundwater resources.
How does this affect me in the automobile repair, service, and salvage business?
- Changes to Indianapolis zoning codes and Marion County health ordinances will likely affect your business operations by mandating certain Best Management Practices (BMPs) that were previously voluntary (see below).
- If you are careful to contain your contaminants, you will avoid polluting your site, or environs and avoid a potentially expensive clean-up down the road.
- Being a good neighbor in your wellfield is good for your business – it will be appreciated by your customers.
What are potential contaminants?
In the automotive business, leaking storage tanks are an obvious hazard. But don’t forget hazardous materials such as waste tires and mercury switches or cleaning and degreasing chemicals, paints, old batteries and other vehicle fluids. Keeping chemicals off the ground and disposing of waste properly is the major goal.
What am I required to do under the new health code?
- Provide secondary containment for any containers over 40 gallons of liquids or 240 lbs of water soluble solids that can hold 110% of the volume of the container for at least 24 hours.
- Provide secondary containment for any areas where multiple containers adding up to 40 gallons of liquids or 240 lbs of water soluble solids that can hold 110% of the volume of the containers for at least 24 hours.
- Insure containment areas located outside are properly drained or covered from weather.
- Make an emergency response spill prevention plan. Check out this spill plan to help you start!
- Notify chemical suppliers and waste transporters in writing that you are in a wellfield protection area. Download a printable notification form.
- Post signs at all entrances so employees, customers, and visitors know that you are in a wellfield protection area. Post signs with the appropriate emergency numbers for your area. Post signs on sinks and within chemical storage areas that remind employees that chemicals can’t be dumped down the drains. Use our signs, or make your own.
- Create a chemical inventory that lists all of the chemicals at your facility. Use this worksheet to help you get started.
- Have a spill kit. View information on what should be in your spill kit.
- Train employees on the use of the spill kit. Log your training records on this form.
- Make sure your floors are in good condition to make sure no spills, leaks, or drips, can flow through the floor into the ground.
- Make sure all of your chemical containers are labelled.
What else can I do to help protect groundwater?
- Upgrade any storage tanks, if you have any, with secondary containment structures to meet federal and state requirements.
- Do not allow disposal of vehicle fluids or degreasers into sewers, dumpsters, or by pouring onto the ground.
- Reuse degreasing chemicals when possible – use dirty degreasers for first cleaning and new degreaser as a final wash.
- Use containment pans underneath displays or stacks of fluid containers to retain spills from broken containers.
- Dispose of mercury switches and waste tires properly.
Education and Training
There are many resources and face-to-face help to assist you in being compliant. Here’s what you can do:
- Review the resources from The Indiana Department of Environmental Management specifically for auto repair and maintenance, waste tires, and auto salvage.
- Review our resource page for helpful videos, websites, and signs for your business.
- Contact us for a business assessment or help on developing your spill plan.
