With an increased focus on consent compliance, managing your truck wash Discharge Consent is more important than ever. Not only will this help you avoid costly enforcement action, but a strong compliance history also sets you up for renewing your Resource Consent when the time comes. The guidance below applies to both Resource Consents and Trade Waste Discharge Permits.
So, what do you need to know and do?
1. Know Your Consent Conditions
Start by understanding exactly what your consent requires.
- Discharge Volume Limit
- Your consent may set daily, weekly, monthly, or annual limits.
- Discharge Sampling Requirements
- Most Consents require some form of sampling. Note how often sampling should be completed, where samples are to be collected from (e.g. sump or discharge point), what type of sample (e.g. grab or composite sample), and what samples need to be analysed for.
- Receiving Environment Sampling Requirements
- Depending on where you are discharging, you may be required to collect surface water or soil samples. Make sure you know what to sample, where, and how.
- Reporting and Documentation Requirements
- You may need to keep records such as meter readings, discharge dates, and sample results, and submit this information to Council. Many consents now also require a Management Plan to be developed and maintained which outlines how the system will be operated and managed.
2. Collect the Right Information
To demonstrate compliance, keep clear records such as:
- Discharge flowmeter readings or pump hours.
- Sample results.
- Photos of visual inspections (e.g. checking for scums or foams).
- Completed logsheets (checks for leaks, overflows, surface ponding when discharging etc).
Regularly compare this information against your consent limits.
3. Make Sure Staff Understand the Requirements
Everyone involved in running the truck wash should understand the consent conditions and how to operate the system correctly. Document this in Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and train staff accordingly. Clearly assign responsibilities—for system checks, sampling, reviewing results, and reporting to Council.
Having a basic framework and process for managing the requirements of your Resource Consent helps to avoid any unwelcome compliance surprises. If you’re just getting started with establishing a compliance framework, have questions on what your Consent conditions actually require, or have identified non-compliances and need a hand, give us a shout at Grounded Solutions – our team have extensive experience with truck wash Discharge Consents and Trade Waste Permits.
