MCM 6: Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping
Virginia Tech strives to ensure that municipal operations are conducted in a manner that protects water quality. MCM 6 aims to improve water quality by evaluating and improving municipal operations. Our Standard Operating Procedures for good housekeeping can be found here.
What is the Virginia Tech Facilities Department doing to prevent stormwater pollution?
- Street Sweeping: Regular street sweeping reduces the amount of runoff pollutants. Targeted pollutants include sediment, trash and debris, leaves, organic matter, and nutrients. Virginia Tech performs regular street sweeping operations each year.
- Maintaining Storm Inlets: A vacuum truck is a tank truck with a heavy duty vacuum designed to load solids, liquids, or sludge. Virginia Tech utilizes the vacuum truck for cleanup of contaminated sediments, sewer cleanout, storm drain cleanout, and removal of spills.
- Protecting Equipment: Facilities stores lawn mowers under a covered roof to prevent rainwater from hitting the equipment and washing pollutants into the storm drains.
- Washing Equipment: A sanitary sewer inlet is located behind the Sterrett Facilities Complex to provide a washout location for Facilities field crews. This is used to eliminate illicit discharges from around the complex.
- Disposing of Waste: Proper disposal of both hazardous and non-hazardous waste is crucial to the protection of local waterways. Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) at Virginia Tech is committed to that mission. More information about the safe handling, storage, and disposal of various types of hazardous waste is available on their website.
Learn more about how to prevent stormwater pollution.
Spill Prevention Control And Countermeasures (SPCC): Virginia Tech has SPCC measures for petroleum products. For more information, contact Rob Lowe with Environmental Health and Safety at 540-231-3600.