Precast concrete provides a strong foundation for eco-friendly car washes in the desert city
A vibrant, bustling oasis in the Nevada desert, Las Vegas unfortunately faces fundamental water conservation challenges. The Colorado River, which is the lifeblood of the region, has experienced prolonged drought, climate change and growing demands from other states — all of which add up to dwindling resources.
Put simply, every drop counts in this arid landscape. According to the Las Vegas Valley Water District, the region gets about 90% of its water from the Colorado River, which is currently facing “the worst drought in the river basin’s recorded history.” The water level of Lake Mead, which serves as the source of most of the community’s drinking water, has dropped more than 150 feet since January 2000.
“The Rocky Mountains have had below-average snowfall for several years, decreasing the amount of runoff into the Colorado River,” LVVWD explains. “It would take many years of above-normal runoff in the Rocky Mountains before Lake Mead’s water level returns to the level before the drought began.”
Car Wash Coupons Anyone?
Needless to say, everyday activities that many of us take for granted are treated as decidedly “not-eco-friendly” in the Las Vegas region, where the water district recommends using commercial or self-serve car washes. The Southern Nevada Water Authority even offers residents “car wash coupons” to encourage their use. Many of those car washes have the infrastructure in place to “capture” the used water in a sanitary sewer and/or recycle the water right onsite.
Precast is playing an important role in the construction of these eco-friendly car washes. The material’s inherent strength and durability make it ideal for capturing and storing large volumes of water — both fresh and recycled. Manufactured to precise specifications and produced in controlled environments, the precast tanks and related products provide a watertight seal that prevents leaks and minimizes water loss in an environment where every drop is precious.
Precast’s modular nature also supports rapid construction, reduces the need for onsite labor and minimizes disruption to the surrounding area. Angel Camacho, outside sales representative at Jensen Infrastructure in Las Vegas, says his company is often called upon to produce the tanks and related structures for owners of eco-friendly car washes, of which there are many in the region.
For example, Jensen recently produced four 1,500-gallon precast concrete sand/oil interceptors, a sample box and a few smaller cleanout boxes for a new car wash. The combined system aids in the reclamation and recycling of water to reduce waste. And because they treat wastewater onsite, the tanks effectively reduce the volume of total suspended solids (TSS) that enter the sewer system when people wash their cars in their own driveways.
“The interceptors serve as reclaimed tanks that ensure that pretty much everything gets cleaned up before any water goes to the main sewer,” Camacho said. In this specific customer application, he says the new facility was partially constructed before the tanks were produced and installed. Plastic wasn’t an option in this case because traffic would be traveling over the underground structures, he said, and precast fit the bill perfectly.
Better than Cast-in-Place
The fact that the precast tanks could be made offsite and delivered for immediate installation was another selling point for the material in this case and also a winning advantage over any cast-in-place options.
“The building was under construction at the time, and we helped the contractor stick to the project timeline by having the tanks ready to go when they were needed,” Camacho said.
This was much more feasible than carving out the time and resources to cast the tanks in place onsite.
Camacho said the same approach is being used by car wash owners throughout the Las Vegas area, where the project scopes vary based on what the companies are trying to achieve.
“The general layouts are pretty much all the same,” he said, “with some needing higher gallon capacities.”
The average is around 6,000 total gallons, which is usually handled by producing three 2,000-gallon precast tanks.
Other variations include the placement of inlets and outlets, based on the final positioning of the tanks in relation to the building itself. For this particular project, in fact, Jensen designed the same tank twice in preparation for it to be installed on either the right or the left side of the building. This proactive approach is necessary because the precaster “doesn’t always know until the very last minute which side the tanks are going to be connected on,” Camacho explained.
“We basically just have two layouts continuously ready for approval. Once they’re approved, we start producing the tanks,” Camacho said.
The first tank in the layout is usually the “mud tank,” or the one that collects the most dirt and debris when a vehicle is washed in the bay. The other three tanks act as reclaimed sand/oil interceptors. The setup also includes a skimmer flow line and various plumbing fixtures that lead back into the building.
Precast Meets the Requirements
Camacho said car wash owners and developers in the region are very interested in the precast tanks for the numerous value points that they deliver on such projects. They also help vehicle owners clean their cars in a more environmentally friendly manner by not only conserving and reusing water but also by keeping harmful chemicals and other contaminants out of the region’s sewer systems.
“All of the feedback we’re getting on the tanks has been pretty straightforward and positive,” said Camacho, who adds that project contractors really like the ease of installation and the fact that the tanks arrive onsite ready to install and use.
“The tank layouts themselves are pretty straightforward; it’s really just about the placement of the inverts on the inlets and outlets (e.g., on the length of the wall or the width of the wall),” Camacho said. “As long as we meet those requirements, the owners are pretty content with the final outcome.”