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Commercial Vehicle Wash Facility Efficiency Assessments

Commercial, multi-family and municipal facilities with vehicle wash equipment that uses potable water from Austin Water must submit an annual efficiency evaluation performed by a plumber licensed by the State of Texas. Your due date is determined by the evaluation zone for your facility's ZIP code. You may submit the evaluation up to 90 days before the due date.

Note: Failure to submit the required documentation by the due date is a violation of the Water Conservation Code. Facilities out of compliance are subject to a Water Conservation Non-Compliance Fee of $759 per month, in accordance with the Austin Water Rates and Fee Schedule.

Resources

Efficiency Standards

Vehicle wash equipment must meet the following standards:

No water leaks are present in the vehicle washing equipment.
In-bay, hand-held spray wash equipment — including a spray wand or foaming brush — does not use more than 3.5 gallons per minute and has a trigger shutoff and protective weep.
Portable pressure wash equipment must have a spray nozzle with a positive shutoff and protective weep mechanism and does not use more than:
3.5 gallons per minute for passenger vehicles, including automobiles, delivery vans and buses.
10 gallons per minute for commercial equipment vehicles such as front-end loaders, dump trucks and earth movers.
A conveyor or drive-through friction system does not use more than 35 gallons per vehicle.
A conveyor or drive-through touchless system does not use more than 35 gallons per vehicle.
An in-bay automatic system does not use more than 75 gallons per vehicle for buses and other large vehicles.
An in-bay rollover automatic system does not use more than 45 gallons per vehicle.
Each chamois wringer has a positive shutoff valve.
A system using reverse osmosis rinse water must reclaim and reuse reject water.