The State of Wyoming is currently working on Water Quality Rules and Regulations for Surface Water Standards. In Cheyenne a Task Force has been set up to figure out the BMPs necessary to maintain Wyoming's fresh clean water supply. It is for this reason WashGuys have volunteered to help with providing such advise necessary to complete this project without hurting small business, Wyoming's job base, or Industry while simultaneously keeping waters clean for Fly Fishing and drinking water.

Below is the first of many reports to educate the Wyoming DEQ/WQD for their hearings on these matters.

Dear Governor, staffer who handles important concerns,

My name is Lance Winslow and I am not an environmentalist with a grudge or a huge corporation with a hidden agenda. I am in the franchising business and I am an observer of events and places as I travel the country.

I have visited your state and been to many cities and have observed many small business owner operators in the pressure washing and related cleaning businesses. Typically these business are operated with one to three full time or part time employees servicing the washing needs and desires of businesses and private parties. This niche is filled very nicely in Wyoming, with individual businesses who have a vehicle and a trailer unit or a van or even a few with a couple of units, which go out and wash onsite.

I had read in the newspaper in Casper, a public notice that your state is working on Storm Water Discharge Requirements for compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act. I believe this to be a worthy task, due to the large fishing public and drought where water supplies are less and therefore any pollution concentration is increased simply by the fact of less water in the rivers, underground water tables and lakes. I do believe however that bad storm water management policies will hurt small business in this regard namely the 250 people I estimate in your state who are contract cleaners or employed by these small businesses to do onsite washing. There are other industries such as Auto Detailing Shops which could also be adversely effected. I had watched in CA about ten years ago as Best Management Practices were set for such industries and how it effected employment and economic conditions. Whereas much of these laws were written for the betterment of mankind, most of the proposed legislation did not take care of the problem, but simply created more laws which stifled free enterprise, gave other businesses a leg up on their competition and cost many small businesses their life's savings. I was involved my self with fixed site car washes using such laws to put me out of business with the help of the government. They had used the environmental laws similar to what your storm water program is proposing, we can have it all; Small Business, jobs and environmental mitigation.

Car Wash Guys Museum

Today our company operates in 22 states and has contributed to better Best Management Practices and routinely helps government com up with reasonable law changes without hurting small businesses or costing jobs.

Wash Guy Franchisees

I tried to contact your departments of environmental storm water discharge but was cut short when the department staff simply assumed I was trying to sell them something when in fact I was merely trying to promote responsible rule making and no adverse impact on jobs in the state. I believe that is the duty of a citizen to help their government with facts and knowledge to accomplish the goal of serving the common good. I was simply asking what I could do for my state, instead of what my state can do for me. This is why I am writing your office directly now. These proposed law changes will not effect our company since we already operate above current standards in the most liberal of states with such environmental laws, such as Washington, Florida and California. As a matter of fact if I give the storm water program no advise or any of my 25 years of expertise, we as a company actually stand to gain more as other small businesses are forced out of the market place by these new proposed rules.

Below I have prepared links of things our company has done to mitigate any water flow into storm drains, rivers, creeks or low level ground water. Many of these environmental ideas a relatively inexpensive and such solutions can be adapted by small operators for under $350.-$1,000. I am a little concerned with the fact that most of the supply companies to the Pressure Washing Industry do not carry such environmental control devises in their inventories in Wyoming and that laws will be imposed on small pressure washing companies that require devises and controls that are not readily available in Wyoming. I therefore have listed several vendors who could supply such devises and this would mean any devises purchased would be done so in Wyoming and therefore helping other Wyoming businesses. I think it is wise and perhaps necessary for you to keep my name as a reference as I am the leading authority in the country on the subject of Pressure Washing and storm water discharge laws. I believe we can have a proper NPDES Permit and State Wide Storm Water Discharge Mitigation Process which will take into consideration all aspects of this issue without hurting Wyoming jobs or our small business base. I also believe with just a little bit of CIP "Cross Industry pollination" of what I have presented to you in this email report will help all other industries that are impacted by these new BMPs and state storm water rulings.

1.) This is a devise which is inexpensive and can be used by trucking, vehicle fleet owners, government agencies washing there own vehicles, truck stops, bus companies and small operators, washing fleets on non permeable surfaces. The devises can be purchased from any of the web sites below;

A.) AAA Pressure Washers

B.) Delco Cleaning Systems

C.) Casper, WY based company. Rocky Mountain Abrasives

As well as special ordered by any Hotsy, Landa, Alkota, Hydrotech Pressure Washer Dealer.

Here is a sample of what this devise looks like.

Washguy's reclamation systems

This devise costs about $600.00 and needs a wet dry vacuum with a submersible pump to work to suck up the waste water. Wal-Mart has them for $76.00 or Steal Eagle Co. has them for $350.00

2.) This is a wash mat which can be purchased from New Pig Co., Pollution and Equipment Catalog, or other various sources below. Wash Mats are very good for companies washing on gravel or permeable surfaces which are over very low water tables.

A.) Working Mat Sales

B.) New Pig Co. Search the directory under "Wash Mats" for styles and types and prices.

D.) Delco Cleaning Systems

F.) Casper, WY based company. Rocky Mountain Abrasives Ask for Carl Nelson.

4.) Regarding Mitigation for Non-profit Fundraisers by various youth groups, youth sports and schools doing car wash fundraisers. Here are some of the environmental BMPs we have come up with to help such groups from becoming polluters without shutting down this needed type of fundraising event.

A.) How to Run a Successful Car Wash Fundraiser by LANCE WINSLOW III

B.) Direct link to chapter 2, which addresses protecting the environment

Here is one idea which was designed to alert owner operators and small independent businessmen on how to deal with the latest NPDES and BMP changes effecting storm water discharges in the Las Vegas area of Southern Nevada. We designed, printed and distributed these to all independent operators via; supply distributors, storm water enforcement, direct mail, fax and email.

Click here for the article

I will personally volunteer to devise a similar program for the State of Wyoming with the help of our franchisee in Casper, WY and Rocky Mountain Abrasives, who sells pressure washers and environmental control equipment to the oil and gas industries and many of the owner operators in Wyoming. I believe we can put together a soft sell approach to cleaning the rivers for Fly Fishermen, without putting the employees of small business in your state at risk. Let me know how I can help your team comply with Federal Clean Water Act, Protect Car Wash Fundraiser Events for Non-Profits, clean up the rivers and streams, and help The State of Wyoming in the PR needed to keep tourism strong.

Lance Winslow
www.lancewinslow.org