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THE EPA IS COMING Are you ready, physically and mentally? Is your yard a place you are proud to show off to someone else? Are you able to brag about it and not have anguish as to your bragging? Is the first impression a person gets a good one? If all these answers are positive then you may be ready. But if you have to think about it, you are not ready and may need to do some household tidiness. There are lots of simple and small thing we can do to help, and I will name a few of these. The EPA has not said that this is what needs to be done, but it is good housekeeping and should be a regular everyday practice at your yard. These are my suggestions, and only what I believe. 1. GET UP ALL BATTERIES AND PUT THEM IN THE BACK OF A VAN IN A BEDLINER. BE SURE THE BATTERIES ARE NOT UPSIDE DOWN, AND COVERED UP. IF POSSIBLE PUT THE TRUCK ON CEMENT AND CLOSE ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS. RIDE THROUGH YOUR FIELD AND GET EVERY BATTERY, EVEN IN CARS WITH HOODS ON THEM. SELL THEM FOR ANYTHING YOU CAN. WE RECEIVED 75 CENTS IN WILSON. 2. PUT ANTIFREEZE IN A CONTAINER AND GIVE IT AWAY. PUT A SIGN IN YOUR OFFICE SAYING IF YOU BRING YOUR CONTAINER WE WILL FILL IT FOR FREE. 3. GET ALL RADIATORS OFF THE GROUND AND PUT ON CEMENT AND COVER OR JUST COVER UP IN A PILE. 4. BE SURE YOUR FREON MACHINES WORK AND YOU ARE COLLECTING. 5. GET ALL EMPTY BARRELLS OFF YOUR FIELD AND LAY THEM DOWN OR PUT THEM UNDER A SHELTER. YOU ARE BETTER OFF TO GET THEM OFF PROPERTY IF POSSIBLE. IF THEY ARE FULL BE SURE CAP IS TIGHT AND ON CEMENT AND SHOULD HAVE SECONDARY CONTAINMENT. 6. GET RID OF PLASTIC GAS TANKS, THE LANDFIELD WILL TAKE THEM FOR ABOUT 20 CENTS EACH. CALL THEM AND CARRY THEM A TRUCK LOAD. 7. IF YOU HAVE CRUSHED GAS TANKS, COVER THEM UP OR PUT ON CEMENT. 8. BE SURE YOUR WASH WATER DOES NOT GET ON THE GROUND, THE OILS AND BENZINES IN THE DIRT ARE CONTAIMINATES AND WILL CAUSE YOU PROBLEMS. FIX IT SO YOUR SLUDGE CAN BE PUT IN A TRASH CONTAINER AND DOES NOT REACH THE GROUND. A SIMPLE $75.00 FLOOR PUMP MAY SOLVE THE PROBLEM. REUSE YOUR WATER. DO NOT LET IT GET ON OR IN THE GROUND. 9. CHECK THE GROUND ALL OVER THE YARD TO BE SURE THAT THE GROUND IS NOT GREASY OR OIL SOAKED. IF IT IS, TURN THE DIRT OVER. YOU MAY NEED TO DO IT MORE THAN ONE TIME. THE SUN CLEANS THE GROUND EVERY SO OFTEN. 10. BE SURE THAT ALL DRAIN PIPES HAVE AN OUTLET AND KNOW WHERE THEY GO. 11. LEARN HOW TO BE VERY, VERY POLITE AND UNDERSTANDING AND TRY TO BE READY TO BE CALM. PUT A GAME PLAN IN PLACE AND BE READY FOR SURPRISES WHEN THEY HAPPEN. REMEMBER THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING THEIR JOB AND WE DO NOT NEED TO UPSET THEM. 12. ABOVE ALL GET AN EPA STORM WATER PERMIT. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ONE CALL ME AND I WILL FAX YOU AN APPLICATION. IT TAKES 10 MINUTES TO FILL OUT AND COSTS $80.00 THIS IS A MUST. 13. BY THE TIME YOU GET THE PERMIT, PUT A PLAN INTO ACTION AS TO HOW TO IMPLEMENT IT. THESE THING ON THIS PAGE ARE PART OF IT. 14. CHECK EACH CAR AS IT COMES IN AND IF IT HAS AN OIL LEAK, STRIP IT FIRST OR PUT A PAN UNDER THE CAR TO CATCH THE OIL. 15. DRAIN ALL OILS AND FLUIDS OUT OF ALL CARS BEFORE STRIPPING. THERE ARE ALSO CHEAP EXTRACTORS ON THE MARKET TO SUCK IT OUT. 16. DO NOT HAVE AN OUTSIDE MOTOR PILE, UNLESS IT IS COVERED AND ON CEMENT. THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF OUR WORST NIGHTMARES. SELL IT, SCRAP IT. STRIP IT AND SHELVE OR COVER IT. IF YOU HAVE NO OTHER WAY JUST PUT A PLASTIC COVER OVER IT. BUT DO CLEAN IT UP. 17. PLEASE BE SURE TO CALL ME WHEN THE EPA APPEARS SO WE KNOW THEY ARE HERE AND EVERYONE CAN GET PREPARED. These are just a few suggestions to get you started and it may not take as long as you think. Get started now. The EPA are supposed to start coming to visit us in December, and she said she was going to visit our yard, AND YOUR YARD TOO... Thanks, Gary V. Bevell, Executive Director |
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