Method and apparatus for minimizing ground water contamination at a construction site by utilizing high density population of tool cleaning stations
A system for minimizing storm water contamination in a residential subdivision utilizes a high population density of portable toilets and of paint—dry wall compound—concrete tool washing stations, and, utilizes paint—dry wall compound—concrete tool washing stations as ballast in combination with portable toilets to stabilize the portable toilets.
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for minimizing ground water contamination.
More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for minimizing storm water contamination by sewage and by toxic and non-toxic construction materials including paint and dry wall paste.
One source of storm water contamination at construction sites is sewage that escapes from portable toilets (i.e., “J-Johns”) that are capsized by wind or other means and that consequently spill sewage on the ground.
Another source of storm water contamination at construction sites consists of paints, dry wall compound, and other construction materials that are washed on to the ground by construction workers when the workers clean paint brushes and other construction tools.
The foregoing sources of storm water contamination are significant and have led the EPA to enact progressively more stringent rules concerning storm water contamination at construction sites.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus to minimize storm water contamination at construction sites.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved method and apparatus to prevent contaminates from reaching storm water.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus at construction sites for utilizing portable toilets and for cleaning construction tools.
These and other, further and more specific objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art from the following detailed description thereof, taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
Briefly, in accordance with the invention, I provide an improved construction subdivision to minimize contamination of storm water by paint on tools that are utilized during construction. The subdivision extends over an area of at least five; includes at least one building structure under construction in the subdivision; includes an average portable toilet density of at least one portable toilet per acre; includes an average high density population of paint—dry wall compound—concrete tool cleaning stations of at least one station per acre. Each of the paint—dry wall compound—concrete tool cleaning stations includes a sink; a fresh water tank; a waste water tank; a faucet in fluid communication with the fresh water tank; and, a foot operated pump to direct water from the fresh water tank to the sink.
In another embodiment of the invention, I provide a construction subdivision to minimize contamination of storm water. The construction subdivision extends over an area of at least five acres; includes at least one building structure under construction in the subdivision; includes an average portable toilet density of at least one portable toilet per acre. Each of the portable toilets including ballast comprising a paint—dry wall compound—concrete tool cleaning station. The paint—dry wall compound—concrete tool cleaning station includes a sink; a fresh water tank including at least two hundred pounds of water; a waste water tank; a faucet in fluid communication with the fresh water tank; and, a pump to direct water from the fresh water tank to the sink.
Turning now the drawings, which depict the presently preferred embodiments of the invention for the purpose of illustration thereof, and not by way of limitation of the invention, and in which like characters refer to corresponding elements throughout the several views,
Upper portion 12 includes side 17. Lower portion 13 includes side 16 and front 18.
Dashed lines 19 in
In
The average population density of portable toilets per acre is at least one portable toilet per acre. As used herein, a portable toilet includes a single toilet seat. A portable toilet structure that contains two seats would for purposes of the invention be deemed to be two portable toilets; a portable toilet structure that contains three seats would for purposes of the invention be deemed to be three portable toilets; etc.
One particularly desirable application of the tool wash station 10 of the invention is illustrated in
Tool wash station 10 can simply be placed adjacent a portable toilet 30 without connecting or anchoring the tool wash station 10 to the toilet 30. It is, however, preferred that wash station 10 be connected to toilet 30 with connectors 40 that attach wash station 10 to a wall of the toilet 30. Alternatively, or additionally, the wash station 10 can be mounted on skids 23, 24 (
In contrast, in
In an alternate construction, each corner of station 10 is provided with a vertically oriented internally threaded downwardly opening. A skid or other structural member can be bolted to the station 10 by (1) directing the externally threaded leg of a bolt upwardly through a vertical opening formed in the skid and (2) turning the externally threaded leg into the internally threaded opening. The head of the bolt bears against the bottom of the skid and presses and secures the skid against the bottom of the station 10.
As is depicted in
Water that exits faucet 33 is used to wash tools in sink 14 or in another tool cleaning area 15. The spent water flows out through the sink drain into waste water tank 35 in the manner indicated by arrow C. Other tanks 36 can, if desired, be mounted in or on housing 11. Tanks 34, 35, 36 can be positioned inside or outside housing 11 in any desired arrangement. Faucet 33 can, as indicated by dashed lines 70, be located inside and not extend above sink 14. Positioning faucet 33 inside 70 the sink facilitates stacking one station 10 on top of the other to facilitate transport of multiple stations 10. Stations 10 are preferably sized such that when one station 10 is stacked on top of another station, the height of the two stacked stations does not exceed the height of a portable toilet 30.
After upper portion 12 is pivoted to the position indicated by dashed lines 12A in
Tank 34 holds at least thirty of water, preferably at least fifty gallons of water, most preferably at least seventy-five gallons of water.
Tank 35 holds at least fifty gallons of water and other material (i.e., paint cleaned from tools), preferably holds at least seventy-five gallons of water and other material, and most preferably holds at least one hundred gallons of water and other material.
It is important to note that many hand washing stations that are replete in the prior art are not satisfactory in the practice of the invention. Station 10 must, practically speaking, be able to wash tools. Consequently, the depth F of sink 14 is greater than six inches, preferably greater than eight inches, and most preferably greater than ten inches to make cleaning tools practical. Further, the length and width of the sink are presently thirty-two and twenty inches. The width of the sink preferably should be at least twenty inches; the length at least twenty inches. Station 20 also preferably includes an edge in the sink that can be utilized to scrap paint off brushes and other tools.
The shape of the sink drain can vary as desired, but the sink drain is preferably oval and is large enough to permit a conventional paint roller (or other roller of desired size) to be inserted through the center of the drain and pressed against a narrower end of the drain while the roller is pulled out from the drain. In this manner, one end of the oval drain scraps water and paint off the roller. Sink 14 can include multiple drains to reduce the likelihood that sink 14 will become clogged. A toothed comb is also desirably fixedly (or movably) mounted in sink 14 or another tool cleaning area 15 in wash station 10. The comb is sized to permit paint brushes to be drawn through the comb to remove paint and other material from the brushes.
As illustrated in
Various constructions of portable toilet 30 are well known and typically include at least a toilet seat, tank of liquid beneath the toilet seat, toilet paper, and air vents at or near the top of toilet 30. A urinal and/or wash sink can also be included inside the toilet 30. Portable toilets 30 typically have walls fabricated from a polymer-fiberglass material and include vertically oriented side walls that, in a horizontal plane, circumscribe a substantially square or rectangular area. The invention can be utilized with a portable toilets of any desired shape and dimension and construction.
Claims
1. A residential construction subdivision to minimize contamination of storm water by paint on tools utilized during ongoing construction, said subdivision
- (a) extending over an area of at least five acres;
- (b) including at least one building structure under construction in said subdivision;
- (c) including an average portable toilet density of at least one portable toilet per acre;
- (d) including an average paint—dry wall compound—concrete tool cleaning station
- density of at least one station per acre, said paint—dry wall compound—concrete cleaning station including (i) a sink, (ii) a fresh water tank, (iii) a waste water tank, (Iv) a faucet in fluid communication with said fresh water tank, (v) a foot operated pump to direct water from said fresh water tank to said sink.
2. A construction subdivision to minimize contamination of storm water during ongoing construction, said subdivision
- (a) extending over an area of at least five acres;
- (b) including at least one building structure under construction in said subdivision;
- (c) including an average portable toilet density of at least one portable toilet per acre, each of said portable toilets including ballast comprising a paint—dry wall compound—concrete tool cleaning station including (i) a sink, (ii) a fresh water tank including at least two hundred pounds of water, (iii) a waste water tank, (iv) a faucet in fluid communication with said fresh water tank, and (v) a pump to direct water from said fresh water tank to said sink.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 28, 2006
Publication Date: Jan 31, 2008
Inventors: Randall W. Zell (Laveen, AZ), Patrick M. Velasco (Flagstaff, AZ), George E. Duncan (Peoria, AZ), Franklin T. Huffman (Gilbert, AZ)
Application Number: 11/495,878
International Classification: E03C 1/01 (20060101);