Harrison Industries, one of the oldest and largest privately-owned refuse businesses in the U.S., has installed an innovative new storm water treatment system at the company’s Gold Coast Recycling and Transfer Station in Ventura. Taking over four years and more than $1.5 million to develop, the specialized treatment system represents an industry innovation that combines proven technology with strict storm water quality runoff regulations.
Designed in compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act (CWA), which makes it unlawful to discharge pollutants into navigable waters without a permit, the system collects storm water runoff at Harrison’s 7.8 acre Gold Coast Recycling and Transfer Station on Colt Street where trash hauling trucks empty their loads before they are compacted into transfer trucks and taken to the Toland Landfill.
Thousands of tons of materials are brought to Gold Coast Recycling and Transfer Station each year from Harrison franchise clients – the cities of Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Ojai, Fillmore and Carpinteria, as well as unincorporated areas of Ventura County, Naval Base Ventura County and the Channel Islands Beach Community Services District. In addition, it is a full-service facility for self-haulers that also serves as a buy-back center for recyclable materials (aluminum, glass, plastic bottles, paper products, etc.) as well as a free drop-off center for electronic waste (old computers, televisions, copy machines, etc.) and anti-freeze, batteries, oil and paint (ABOP).
Using a customized collection, filtration and disinfectant system, rainwater that has come into contact with industrial activities at the Colt Street site is diverted into a series of filters and 6,000 gallon tanks where it is cleaned and disinfected. The fully automatic system, equipped with measuring devices, process alarms and remote access, removes pollutants before the treated water enters local storm drains and ultimately flows to the Santa Clara River.
Brian Brennan, former Ventura mayor and a long-time environmental advocate, praised Harrison’s new system and the company’s ongoing environmental efforts. “Ventura County is very fortunate to be home to an industry leader like Harrison Industries that not only complies with strict environmental regulations but also takes their commitment a step further by heavily investing in the design and implementation of new sustainable environmental protection systems,” he said.
Harrison Industries obtained numerous permits to build the storm water treatment system and will work closely with city of Ventura inspectors to have it monitored before and after any rain event. The system, which takes up three quarters of an acre of the Gold Coast property, kicks in day or night when rainfall begins. The filtration components, designed by nationally recognized automated equipment manufacturer, Wastech Controls and Engineering, can treat up to 400 gallons of water per minute. Harrison says that a one inch rainfall will generate approximately 125,000 gallons of water to be treated. “Harrison Industries is proud to make this investment in our operations and in the environment” said Mike Harrison, engineering manager for Harrison Industries. “In the future, we plan to install a larger version of the water treatment system at our E.J. Harrison & Sons facility in Saticoy,” bringing the cost for the two water treatment systems to more than $5 million.
While individual components of the new water treatment system are not uncommon, Harrison is the first in its industry to implement a comprehensive program that uses all components together. The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, which oversees water quality policies and standards, recently acknowledged Harrison Industries for using the “best available technology” in its new system. Harrison’s immediate goal is to maintain compliance with the current and upcoming regulations. In the future, the company plans to investigate ways to reuse the treated water at their facilities or make it available to other water users. “It comes out clean, so why not use it or sell it,” Brennan said, noting that systems like the ones being installed by the Harrisons would go a long way toward addressing the state’s drought.
For more information, visit www.ejharrison.com.