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Equipment to Meet Growing Policy, Regulation, and Contract Requirements
New concepts implemented in work truck portable wash & water reclaim equipment
S-K ENVIRONMENTAL
Invasive species wash system
2 Equipment to meet growing policy, regulation & contract requirements
Table of Contents ISSUE ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
DIRECTION OF POLICY, REGULATION AND CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS ...................................................... 3
Trends in Management Strategy .................................................................................................................. 4
Facts of Weed Seed Movement..................................................................................................................... 4
MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF EQUIPMENT CLEANING ................................................................................ 5
Mobility ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Quality Control ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Efficiency ................................................................................................................................................. 6
Environmental Sensitivity .......................................................................................................................... 6
Facts of Vehicle Cleaning .............................................................................................................................. 6
TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS .................................................................................................................... 7
Improving Processing Time & Debris Removal ............................................................................................. 7
Meeting Environmental Rules & Regulations ............................................................................................... 8
Wash Pad ............................................................................................................................................... 8
Sludge Reclaim System ............................................................................................................................ 8
Further Decreasing Risk of Weed Seed Movement ...................................................................................... 8
Improving Consistency and Efficacy of a Portable Wash System ......................................................... 9
Sure-Koat™ System Test ..................................................................................................................... 9
Picture 1. Electrostatic spray system applying Sure-Koat™ treatment to the undercarriage of the
test truck ............................................................................................................................................. 10
Diagram 1. Weed Seed placement in open Petri dishes on truck frame. .......................................... 10
Graph 1. Germination results of 400 seeds per treatment from field test. ....................................... 10
CONCULSION ............................................................................................................................................... 10
WORKS CITED .............................................................................................................................................. 11
3 Equipment to meet growing policy, regulation & contract requirements
New Concepts Implemented in Work Truck Portable Wash & Water Reclaim
Equipment
Equipment to meet growing policy, regulation, and contract requirements.
March, 2015
ISSUE
Invasive species such as undesirable plants on
roadsides, have long been recognized as hazards
to human health, due to consequences as
severe as blocking line of sight or being a fire
hazard, to as inconvenient as being a source of
hay fever or degrading the aesthetic of the
landscape. Federal agencies, State and Counties
have long addressed weed problems through
re-active vegetation management programs to
control the culprits that elicit the greatest
economic or ecological impacts. However;
there has been an increasing trend to address
weed management through preventative
programs. Prevention is the most efficient
invasive pest management strategy (TNC,
2007). Prevention programs have also proven
to be more cost effective then control
programs (USDI). Therefore; federal, state, and
county weed management plans are putting
greater emphasis on prevention strategies. A
prevention measure that is gaining popularity is
the cleaning of vehicles to remove weeds seeds
and vegetative reproductive parts to reduce the
movement of weeds. Studies to evaluate the
effectiveness of mobile vehicle wash systems
have revealed they are effective, but there is
room for improvement. Contractors and
maintenance crews are faced with choosing a
wash system that is not only effective, but also
efficient for their operation. Additionally,
environmental rules that spring from laws, such
as the National Environmental Protection Act
(NEPA) and the Clean Water Act further
dictate what is needed in a wash system to
meet site requirements. Policy, regulations and
contract requirements are being refined to
prevent weed seed movement at the same time
that research results on wash systems are being
translated into equipment improvements.
Public and private organizations can benefit
from knowing the current trends in prevention
management and what are the best product
solutions available to meet the requirements.
DIRECTION OF POLICY, REGULATION AND CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS
For several years now, there have been
numerous agencies as well as interagency
groups involved with influencing and creating
policy of invasive plant management, at a local,
regional or national level – including
State/Regional Invasive Species Councils (e.g.,
the Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council),
Invasive Plant Task Forces (e.g., the Beach Vitex
Task Force), and Cooperative Weed
Management Areas (e.g., the South Fork WMA
4 Equipment to meet growing policy, regulation & contract requirements
in Wyoming) (Westbrooks, 2011). Such
agencies and groups routinely employ a number
of strategies to manage widespread invasive
plants through prevention, control, and public
outreach. Groups such as these and their
members routinely reach out to state and
federal legislators to influence invasive species
policies, including the inclusion of management
strategies in state environmental policy and
federal agency policy. Additionally, a more
inclusive group, the North American Invasive
Species Management Association (NAISMA)
works hard to hold industry standards that will
improve invasive species management across
North America. These standards are developed
to ensure that weed management programs
across states, regions and country boarders are
working toward similar goals and are able to
share information across programs. In February
of 1999 an Executive Order 13112 was signed
that formed the National Invasive Species
Council (Federal Register, 1999). The Council
performs activities and creates a National
Management Plan to ensure that federal
prevention and control activities for invasive
species are coordinated, effective and efficient.
Trends in Management Strategy
The impact of all these groups have made land
managers more aware of the choices they have
in management programs to address invasive
species. Regulatory and non-regulatory actions
such as management plans, codes of conduct
and education and outreach efforts are all
important tools that are being applied within a
comprehensive strategy to prevent the
establishment of invasive species. Of the basic
management choices: Prevention, Early
detection/rapid response, and Control and
management; prevention is the most efficient
invasive pest management strategy (TNC, 2007)
(Taylor, 2011). Prevention programs have also
proven to be more cost effective than control
programs (USDI). When developing an invasive
species prevention program, the pathways in
which an area can be potentially infested is an
important consideration.
A risk-based approach to invasive species
management is mandated by Executive Order
13112 and requires consideration of the
likelihood that an invasive species will establish
and spread as well as the degree of harm it
could cause (Federal Register, 1999). When
evaluating pathways that contribute to weed
invasions, specific species and the total load
involved in pathway/vector risk is considered.
NISC, partnered with the Aquatic Nuisance
Species Task Force, has laid out a pathway
assessment tool to be utilized to aid policy
planning. This assessment only ranks
unintentional, man-made pathways, and ensures
that the priorities of, first humane health,
second economy, and then ecology are
Facts of Weed Seed Movement Movement of weed seeds out of a known
infested area in to an area known to be free
of specific weed species is an activity that
vegetation managers try to avoid. Studies
have found passenger vehicles may carry up
to 135 seeds per vehicles, picking seeds up
from the road or roadside and spreading
them farther down the road (Taylor, 2011).
The potential for movement of seeds from off
road vehicle use is greater than on road, and
Montana State University research found off
road vehicles picked up 14 to 26 times more
weed seeds in wet conditions versus dry
conditions depending on if it was wheeled or
tracked equipment, respectively (Taylor,
2011). The study additionally found that for
the wheeled vehicles, of the weed seeds
picked up under muddy conditions, 100% of
the seeds were lost after driving 80 miles on
paved wet roads, and 50% loss on unpaved
wet roads. Vehicles averaged picking up 21
seeds/mile in spring and 394 seeds/mile in fall.
5 Equipment to meet growing policy, regulation & contract requirements
accommodated (NISC, 2006). Federal agencies
that are currently implementing prevention
strategies by addressing pathway vectors are
the US Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of
Land Management (BLM). The USDA/USFS has
instituted rules requiring that vehicles entering
and leaving forest fire management areas must
be washed to help minimize weed seed transfer
from one National Forest to another.
Currently, there is a nationwide rule for all
USFS Timber Sale Contracts to have a standard
provision that requires equipment cleaning to
prevent the movement of weed seeds in or out
of a harvest area. The USDI/BLM has also
adopted this strategy for timber sales as well as
some pipeline and well head projects.
Although The Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) does not have a wide spread standard
policy for removal of weed seeds, they do
address the issue in their Environmental Guide
under the topic of Roadside Vegetation, in the
non-federal related information AASHTO
publication (AASHTO, 2004). In this document
they identify that the first-line of defense and
the most cost-effective strategy against invasive
species is preventing invasion in the first place.
The report discusses that off-road vehicles are
among the largest offenders in transporting
seeds, with transportation systems, spraying and
mowing operations being a portion of what is
responsible for weed spread. FHWA also
recognizes movement of construction
equipment from a weedy site to a non-weedy
site is a common mechanism of transporting
seeds (Callicot, 1999). As states gain more
understanding and evidence of the economical
savings in implementing more prevention
management strategies, these practices could
gain greater emphasis in state environmental
policy for construction and maintenance
practices. States are already including vehicle
wash requirements for removal of weeds seeds
from vehicles in fire suppression operations
(example : Montana Department of Natural
Resources and Conservation, Appendix Fire
Suppression Repair Plan Template). Standard
inclusion of vehicle cleaning for weed seed
removal in roadside maintenance and
construction projects may not be far off.
MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF EQUIPMENT CLEANING
In situations where equipment cleaning is
required new challenges arise. Those challenges
help define the right type of equipment wash
system that is needed. Typical defining
characteristics are:
As the frequency of work sites change, ease
of mobility of a wash station becomes of
greater importance.
As turnover in personnel or number of
personnel increase, the quality control to
assure adequate cleaning of equipment
becomes a greater challenge.
As contract payment becomes more tightly
tied to a completion deadline, efficiency of
a wash system is important.
As work site environmental sensitivity
increases, wash activities and handling of
debris and grey (dirty) water may become
more restrictive, dictated by the:
o National Environmental Policy Act
o Clean Water Act
o Threaten and Endangered Species
Act
Mobility
The majority of portable work truck wash
systems are mounted on a trailer or housed in a
container that can be lifted by crane on to a
flatbed trailer. The ability of a wash system to
function in different sites is more dictated by
the staging site or placement of the wash pad.
6 Equipment to meet growing policy, regulation & contract requirements
Some systems are designed to operate on hard
top where sand or water baffles can be used to
contain or direct grey water. Systems are
available with raised ramps that include water
catchments; however; these units often require
cranes for set-up and dismantle, which limits
mobility. The most flexible systems include a
thick mat with built in baffles that facilitate
collection of used wash water and debris under
numerous situations. The ability for easy set-up
and through site clean-up are important
considerations.
Quality Control
In round table discussions, state officials have
voiced that one of the biggest challenges in
vehicle wash programs is reliable operators of
wash equipment. Typical wash systems rely on
an operator with a high pressure hand wand.
The wash operator may vary, being the vehicle
operator or specially trained personnel. One
portable wash system, the DOTWash by S-K
Environmental, attempts to take the wash
operator out of the quality equation by adding
an automated undercarriage high volume wash
and an automated Sure-Koat™ system that
coats the washed vehicle with an ultra low
volume, static charged treatment the kills any
remaining seeds lodged on the undercarriage or
wheel wells. The system has the option of
utilizing a hand wand operator to address hard
to remove debris or debris on the upper sides
of equipment. The combination of the two
automated systems with the hand operator
gives the highest quality control in the industry
and greatly reduces operator error.
Efficiency
The time required to accommodate vehicle
cleaning can quickly add up and have a large
impact on work progress. It is understood that
in the long view this pro-active approach to
invasive weed control will save time and effort
in the future; however; the immediate impact
on project progress must be considered.
Studies indicate that five minutes of washing
removes up to 88% of weed seeds (Balbach H.,
2008). However; five minutes of wash time can
result in a long line of vehicles trying to enter
or leave a work site. An automated system,
where an undercarriage high volume/pressure
wash is activated by the vehicle rolling over a
pressure strip, and deactivated as it exits the
wash pad, can greatly reduce time and keep
work trucks moving. Adding an automated
Sure-Koat™ system gives piece of mind that
weed seeds are controlled that may still be
lodged after the automated wash, without
slowing truck movement.
Environmental Sensitivity
Typically when there is a concern of weed
movement in or out of a site, there are also
NEPA, CWA and/or T&E concerns. A wash
Facts of Vehicle Cleaning
In a 2005 report, Fleming does a good job at high lighting the different options available in mobile wash
systems in his report ‘Vehicle Cleaning Technology for Controlling the Spread of Noxious Weeds and
Invasive Species’ (Fleming, 2005). In 2008, Fleming, Rew and Balbach evaluated five of the top portable
commercial vehicle wash systems. The research was conducted with the US Army Corps of Engineers due
to the potential hazard in transporting invasive species among Continental U.S. military training sites or
even from area to area on a military installation (Balbach H., 2008). The study used Class 3 fire engines,
light 4x4s and bull dozers. Five wash systems with experienced operators were tested. The wheeled
vehicle wash time was limited to 5 minutes and the track vehicle was limited to one hour. All systems were
fairly successful at removing the majority of debris; however; even the most effective system could only
remove 88% of the debris from the wheeled vehicles. Average removal was around 77% of debris.
7 Equipment to meet growing policy, regulation & contract requirements
system must be able to comply with site
requirements under these rules and regulations.
Self contained wash systems with water reclaim
ability are paramount in this situation. Several
wash systems have recently added the ability to
reclaim and recycle the sludge of used water
and debris (grey water). Important attributes of
a recycling system to look for are the;
system for collection of grey water,
including how the reservoir is created and
reclaim pump capacity.
configuration and size of the settling tank to
address collection and ease of disposal of
large debris.
minimum micron size of debris being
removed in filters.
ease of cleaning, removing, and disposing
debris from settling tanks and filters.
time for grey water to be processed
through the reclaim system.
Recycling properties of wash systems are
becoming more standard in regard to finest
particles removed. Preferred size of the settling
tank and processing time minimums will be
dependent on individual uses. Ease of cleaning
the reclaim and recycling system is often a
personal preference but will be an important
factor in choosing a system. The attribute that
often sets systems apart in regard to meeting
rules and regulations is containment and
collection of the grey water. For equipment
utilizing existing pavement as a wash pad,
reservoirs are often created by placing reclaim
pumps near sewer drains that are blocked by
sand filled baffles. This set-up limits placement
of wash pad areas and may be controversial on
securely meeting regulations. These systems
may not be well configured for collection and
processing a large amount of debris. The ability
to modify a site to accommodate large steel or
other types of ridged wash pads may be limited,
making reclaim mats more appropriate. For
systems that utilize a poly or vinyl mat as a
mobile wash pad, quality becomes an important
factor, as well as, the effectiveness of the baffles
used to contain grey water and return pumps
that can handle large amounts of debris. Mats
with built in baffles have proven extremely
versatile, meeting the requirements of site rules
and regulations as dictated by NEPA, CWA and
T&E requirements.
TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS
The facts support that cleaning equipment is a
responsible prevention measure to reduce the
spread of invasive weeds. However; the facts
also indicate that there is room for
improvement in portable vehicle wash
technology. S-K Environmental has participated
as an operator, with their first generation
portable wash system, in several of the cleaning
studies for quantifying equipment effectiveness.
The S-K wash system was typically utilized on
US Forest Service contracts at fire incident
camps. Even though they achieved top debris
removal scores, S-K Environmental recognized
there was room for improvement in regard to
meeting environmental law requirements,
vehicle processing time, debris removal, and
improvements toward the goal of decreasing
the amount of viable seeds remaining on the
cleaned equipment, regardless of operator.
Improving Processing Time & Debris Removal
S-K Environmental (S-K) found that processing
time could be reduced by utilizing an
undercarriage spray system in conjunction with
the standard high pressure hand wand for
debris removal. After testing several
undercarriage cleaning systems, S-K
accomplished the best results with a dual
spinner jet spray delivering 300psi at 30
gallons/min. The addition of tire pressure
activation strips, to activate and deactivate the
8 Equipment to meet growing policy, regulation & contract requirements
dual spinners, further decreased processing
time by allowing the vehicle to be in continuous
motion during the cleaning. As the vehicle rolls
over the dual spinners, removal of debris from
the undercarriage is simultaneous with hand
wand spraying removing debris from the vehicle
sides and bumpers. The dual operation not only
saves time but also improves the amount of
debris removed.
Meeting Environmental Rules & Regulations
The two most important features of a portable
wash system to meet environmental rules and
regulations are the wash pad and processing of
the sludge removed from the vehicles.
Wash Pad
There is no standard wash pad for portable
wash systems. Pads vary from:
modular steel wash racks complete with
catch basins,
to use of existing pavement with sand or
rubber baffles directing sludge to low areas
for collection,
to differing mobile mat materials to be used
with separate baffles to contain sludge.
S-K Environmental strived to utilize a superior
system that would allow for set-up on a wide
variety of sites, easy mobility, and excellent
debris containment and collection. They
achieved this with a reclaim mat made of heavy-
duty vinyl. Mats come in numerous sizes to
accommodate any work truck and equipment
sizes. A unique feature of the mats is a built in
baffle, making them exceptionally appropriate
for sites needing to follow environmental rules
and regulations. The baffles are easily filled with
clean water to form a collection reservoir for
the sludge pumps. At completion, the clean
baffle water can be released in the environment
and the mats folded for loading on the wash
trailer that comes equipped with a jib crane for
this purpose. No contaminants, sludge, or
weed seeds are left on site.
Sludge Reclaim System
As the use of portable wash systems in sensitive
environmental areas increase, more wash
system manufacturers are adding water reclaim
systems. Standard systems utilize a settling tank
for large debris, followed by two filters of 100
to 200 microns and 5 to 50 microns. A major
difference between systems is the processing
time of the grey water. Processing time
becomes important when the reclaimed water
is re-used for vehicle cleaning and a high
number of vehicles are being processed daily. S-
K’s experience of processing large numbers of
vehicles at fire incident camps has helped them
to manufacture a reclaim system that
thoroughly removes debris and has an efficient
processing time. Processing time is increased
with the addition of a screen to remove large
debris prior to the settling tank and a final filter
of 10 micron, sufficient for removal of weed
seeds, rather than a 5 micron filter that slows
processing time. Water is sufficiently clean for
reuse or release into the environment in-
keeping with environmental regulations. The
reclaim system as also configured to allow for
easy removal of filters and settled debris for
appropriate disposal.
Further Decreasing Risk of Weed Seed Movement
When interpolating the data collected from
vehicle cleaning studies, it is reasonable to
consider over 400 weed seeds per off road
work truck. Standard washing protocol and
equipment may be expected to remove 80% of
those weed seeds, leaving approximately 80
weed seeds to still be introduced or spread to
new areas. With experience in weed
management and control, S-K Environmental
understood the importance of an effective
9 Equipment to meet growing policy, regulation & contract requirements
prevention strategy; therefore; they wanted to
further reduce that number of viable seeds to
decrease the likelihood of weed spread. The
improvements that S-K has made to the wash
system have improved debris removal to be one
of the highest in the industry. However; there
still may be some viable weed seeds remaining
lodged on the frame of a cleaned vehicle.
Increasing removal would increase vehicle
processing time, so S-K looked to reducing the
viability of the remaining seeds.
Seed viability was most successfully reduced
utilizing the Sure-Koat™ system, a system
designed by and only commercially available
with S-K Environmental wash equipment. The
Sure-Koat™ system is an electrostatic spray
system delivering an ultra low volume (2.5 to 4
oz) of product that decreases seed viability by
95% to 100%, depending on weed species. The
electrostatic spray gives a like charge to small
droplets of the Sure-Koat™ product making it
attractive to the frame of the truck and any
organic matter lodged on the undercarriage
(ESS, 2014). The result of the like charged
particles repelling each other causes the spray
to wrap around areas typically shadowed from a
standard spray application. S-K Environmental
conducted tests with several noxious and
invasive weed species to verify weed seed
control and evaluate process feasibility with the
Sure-Koat™ treatment.
Improving Consistency and Efficacy of a
Portable Wash System
The Sure-Koat™ system is set-up on a
secondary vinyl mat complete with water baffles
and automated pressure sensitive strips. After
leaving the debris removal mat, vehicles roll on
to the Sure-Koat™ mat, automatically activate
the electrostatic sprayer, receive the seed
control treatment and deactivate the sprayer as
they roll off the mat. The total time for the
additional step, to assure the highest possible
weed seed control, is approximately 20 sec.
The use of the S-K Environmental DOTWash
can be seasonally extended by changing the
Sure-Koat™ product to a neutralizer for mag-
chloride.
With the addition of the Sure-Koat™ system,
S-K Environmental has been able to decrease
operator error without losing efficiency of the
total wash system.
Sure-Koat™ System Test
Methods: Lab tests were conducted to determine the best product and rate to reduce seed viability. The
best treatment, considering acceptable control and safest product as related to environmental and
human health, was used in field tests. Field testing consisted of four replications with 400 seeds each for
each weed species. Treatments included a non-treated field check of 50 seeds / open petri dish treated
with water only to simulate a wash for removal of debris only. Treatment 2 was the Sure-Koat™
product applied as the electrostatic spray to 50 seeds / open petri dish. Treatment 2 was accomplished
by securing the open Petri dishes to the undercarriage of a typically sized DOT truck (Picture 1). Prior
to Petri dish placement seeds were sprayed until wet with water to simulate the debris wash that would
take place prior to the Sure-Koat™ treatment. Petri dishes were strategically positioned in or near
areas where seeds may become lodged and would not receive a direct spray from the electrostatic
nozzles (Diagram 1). The truck was run through only the Sure-Koat™ application. On average the cycle
over the electrostatic nozzles was approximately 20 seconds from front to rear bumper with an
approximate delivery rate of 2.5 oz/20 sec. Treatment 3 was quickly dipping seeds directly in the Sure-
Koat™ product. The protocol for this treatment mimicked earlier lab tests for comparison purposes.
All seeds from the three treatments were allowed to air dry, packaged for shipping and sent for
germination testing.
10 Equipment to meet growing policy, regulation & contract requirements
Picture 1. Electrostatic spray system applying Sure-
Koat™ treatment to the undercarriage of the test
truck
Diagram 1. Weed Seed placement in open Petri
dishes on truck frame.
Results: Germination tests confirmed
that the electrostatic spray system
adequately distributed the Sure-Koat™
spray to achieve reduced seed viability
and seedling vigor as expected from lab
tests. There was little to no germination
from Scotch thistle seeds and spotted
knapweed seeds that germinated were
unable to survive (Graph 1). The Sure-
Koat™ system achieved 100% control
of Scotch thistle and 97% control of
spotted knapweed. Placement of petri
dishes and the control achieved was
also analyzed for all weeds tested.
There was no correlation between
placement of the petri dishes and the
control achieved. Results proved that
the charged droplets were able to
adequately cover surfaces that were not
in the direct line of spray from the electrostatic nozzles.
Charged droplets were able to adequately cover seeds
that were obstructed by items such as the truck frame,
struts and the 1” lip of the Petri dish.
Graph 1. Germination results of 400 seeds per treatment
from field test.
CONCULSION
More federal, state and county organizations
are adopting invasive weed management
strategies with greater emphasis on prevention.
More and more, these strategies are including
the requirement to clean weed seeds from
vehicles participating in projects with a high
probability of weed seed introduction or
potentially high maintenance costs if weeds
become established. In response, portable wash
equipment is being improved to meet the
industries requirements. Private and public
organizations participating in these programs
can benefit from being familiar with the options
available in portable vehicle wash equipment.
Choosing the equipment with the options
necessary to meet the growing policies, rules
and regulations is only one factor in being
prepared to meet those requirements. The
second factor is considerations of the best
equipment for meeting the needs of the
operator, such as efficiency, versatility, mobility
and seasonal use. Operators, regulators and
public agencies and equipment manufacturers
need to work together to keep expectations
and costs realistic while still accomplishing the
goal of reducing weed management costs.
11 Equipment to meet growing policy, regulation & contract requirements
WORKS CITED
AASHTO. (2004). Environmental Stewardship Practices, Procedures, and Policies for Highway Construction and Maintenance, Chapter 9. NCHRP Project 25-25(04) Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO.
Balbach H., R. L. (2008). Evaluating the Potential for Vehicle Transport of Propagules of Invasive Species. U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center ERDC/CERL TN-08-1.
Callicot, J. a. (1999). The Nature of Roadsides and the Tools to Work with it. FWHA-EP-03005. Office of Natural and Human Environment, Federal Highway Administration.
ESS. (2014). http://maxcharge.com/. 62 Morrison Street, Watkinsville, GA: Electrostatic Spray Systems.
Federal Register, V. n. (1999). Executive Order 13112. Presidential Document 61883.
Fleming, J. (2005). Vehicle Cleaning Technology for Controlling the Spread of Noxious Weeds and Invasive Species. San Dimas, CA: United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Technology & Development Program 0551-1203-SDTDC.
NISC. (2006). Policy Planning. Developed jointly by the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force and National Invasive Species Council prevention committee via the Pathways work team.
Taylor, K. M. (2011). Weed Seed Dispersal by Vehicles. Montana State University Extension MontGuide MT201105AG New 6/11.
TNC. (2007). Strategies for Effective state Early Detection/Rapid Response programs for Plant Pests and Pathogens. The Nature conservancy and Environmental Law Institute.
USDI. National Invasive Species Council Web Site http://www.doi.gov/invasivespecies/prevention/index.cfm. US Department of Interior.
Westbrooks, R. a. (2011). Invasive Plants _ Coming to America . . . . New Strategies for Early Detection and Rapid Response to Invasive Plants in the United States. US Geological Survy and EDDMapS. TM = Trademark of S-K Environmental
12 Equipment to meet growing policy, regulation & contract requirements
DOTWash Product overview: The S-K Environmental portable wash station with automated control is specially designed for fast
and effective work truck cleaning at work site or equipment housing facilities. The DOTWash has an
efficient two step process of high power undercarriage cleaning using automated water jet spinners
to remove debris, followed by an ultra low volume Sure-Koat™ process utilizing electrostatic
technology to increase weed seed control without jeopardizing efficiency (Sure-Koat™ product can
be changed seasonally to accommodate neutralizing products for mag-chloride residue). The S-K
equipment utilizes the best technology to meet environmental rules and regulations with easy to
handle, large heavy-duty vinyl mats that have built-in water baffled sides and corner reclaim pumps to
collect the removed debris. Sludge is processed through a coarse strainer, settling tank and a two
stage filtration system before returning the water to the supply tank for reuse. The S-K
Environmental portable wash station is the best in the industry for weed seed removal, meeting
environmental requirements and as the added benefit of use for winter maintenance of vehicles
exposed to corrosive material.
TM – trademark of S-K Environmental