A carpet cleaner was responsible for runs by both the Southington and Cheshire, Connecticut, police and fire departments. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection agencies also responded to calls that a carpet cleaning van had dumped liquid in a storm drain. The Cheshire police department eventually took over investigation of the case.
Unless someone in the cleaning business has been living under a rock they know that dumping in storm drains or anywhere else is frowned upon by the public. Even though most cleaners use harmless products, the public doesn't know that. Dumping of radioactive and toxic material by other industries has made everyone edgy about seeing anything dumped anywhere.
An example I saw of stupidity at work was an unattended direct drive carpet cleaning unit roaring at the curb and pumping water onto the pavement at an airport entrance. It was below freezing and the water formed a sheet of ice. The only good thing about this disaster in the making was that I knew it wouldn't be my company that was sued when someone fell on that ice.
Besides uncouth behavior, cleaning firms that dump in storm drains or in front of a customer's home or place of business should be chastised by colleagues, trade magazines and associations. This is not being done and it is costly. Disreputable operators are making "cleaning" a dirty word and we're all paying the bill for that.
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