(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a generator of effluent hazardous waste from dry cleaning operations who treats the waste onsite is not a hazardous waste facility, and is exempt from the hazardous waste facilities permit requirements imposed pursuant to this chapter, or the regulations pertaining to hazardous waste facilities permit requirements adopted by the department pursuant to this chapter, if the generator meets all of the following conditions:
(1) The effluent is a non-RCRA hazardous waste, or the treatment of the effluent is exempt from hazardous waste treatment facilities permit requirements pursuant to the federal act.
(2) The effluent is treated at the same facility at which it was generated.
(3) The effluent is treated within 90 days of its generation.
(4) The effluent is treated in a tank or container.
(5) Any residual products or byproducts of the treatment of the effluent are managed in accordance with all applicable requirements for generators of hazardous waste under this chapter and the regulations adopted by the department pursuant to this chapter.
(6) The effluent is a hazardous waste solely due to its PCE (perchloroethylene) content.
(7) The total effluent hazardous waste stream treated does not exceed 180 gallons in any calendar month.
(8) The generator complies with all local requirements applicable to the treatment of the waste.
(9) The generator’s facility does not require a hazardous waste permit for any other hazardous waste management activity.
(b) The local officer or agency authorized to enforce this section pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 25180, as part of the existing inspection program for dry cleaning facilities, shall inspect the dry cleaning operations subject to subdivision (a) for compliance with the conditions of subdivision (a), and to ensure that all treatment devices are properly installed, operated, and maintained. Monitoring standards shall be developed by the department in conjunction with the unified program agencies, county health officer or director of environmental health, consistent with existing requirements of local and regional agencies pertaining to air, water, and soil resources.
(c) For purposes of this section, “dry cleaning operations” means the process of using a solvent to clean materials in either a dry-to-dry machine, a transfer machine, or any modification of these machines. Dry cleaning operations include, but are not limited to, all recovery operations, units, filters, stills, cookers, stages, or processes in which solvent is extracted for use or reuse in the cleaning process.
(d) This section shall not be construed to limit or otherwise abrogate the authority of any local agency, including a city, county, or special district, to control or otherwise regulate any dry cleaning facility located within the local agency’s jurisdiction, or the related past or existing discharges from that dry cleaning facility.
(e) This section shall not be construed to limit the liability of any dry cleaning facility for any past, present, or future discharge.
(f) Nothing in this section shall abridge any authority granted to the department or a unified program agency by any other provision of law to impose any further restrictions or limitations upon facilities subject to this section, that the department or a unified program agency determines to be necessary to protect human health or the environment.
(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 639, Sec. 43. Effective January 1, 1996.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018