GCA - About VB

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    A number of companies are engaged in the business of providing portable toilet facilities in the Houston metropolitan area for temporary facilities at construction sites and at large public activities such as the Downtown Festival, the Houston Air Show, etc. Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority constructed a receiving station in 1985 to provide a dependable source for the disposal of wastewaters recovered from these facilities. In 1996, circumstances required additional volume to enable the receiving station to remain economically viable. To satisfy the additional volume requirement, acceptance of non hazardous industrial waste began in March of 1996. In October 1997, at the request of the City of Houston, VBRS began taking septic tank wastes.
    The Vince Bayou Receiving Station, located at 200 North Richey Street in Pasadena, Texas, is owned and operated by Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority (Authority - GCA) for the purpose of providing a collection and disposal station for companies in the portable toilet service business, septic tank service business, and industrial businesses with non hazardous wastewater in the Houston metropolitan area. Wastes collected at this site are metered, tested and pumped to the Authority's Washburn Tunnel Facility (WTF) for treatment. Currently, six (6) companies providing portable toilet facilities, twenty-one (21) companies providing septic tank services, and ten (10) industrial companies in and around the Houston area dispose approximately 1,200,000 gallons of waste at the Vince Bayou Receiving Station (VBRS) each month.
Waste from portable toilets and holding tanks has been accepted at the Authority's VBRS since 1985, non hazardous wastewater since March of 1996, and septic tank waste since October 1997. Through 1995, over 52 million gallons of wastewater has been collected by the VBRS and treated at the Washburn Tunnel Facility. Business hours are between 5:00 am and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday except recognized holidays. Weekend openings can be arranged in advance at additional cost to the requesting company. No grease trap wastes are accepted at the VBRS.
    Each Non Industrial Company registers its trucks with the Authority and provides the following information: truck capacity, license number, TNRCC Permit number and a City of Houston Permit number. Then the Company is issued a GCA identification decal for each truck that is used in the logging and billing process. A composite sample of each truck load of waste is maintained at the VBRS and each day's receipts are contained in a separate tank until the material in the tank is tested by the Authority. The VBRS has the capacity to hold 40,000 gallons of wastewater for testing while another tank of equal size is utilized for collection while processing the other. A delivery ticket is completed before a truck is allowed to discharge its load. The ticket includes the date, time, Company, GCA decal number, sample number and initial flow meter integrator reading. As the truck discharges, the wastewater is pumped into the "day tank" or holding tank. During pumping, the VBRS collects a 500 ml sample of the truck's load which is placed in a secure container for future reference, if necessary. The driver must sign the completed ticket to verify information on the ticket including the volume (initial and final integrator readings).
    Each Industrial Company must complete an application to discharge identifying the constituents of the non hazardous wastewater they intend to discharge. Then the Company is issued a WTF I.D. stream number that is used in the logging and billing process. A sample of each truck load of waste is taken for billing purposes and a duplicate sample set is maintained at the VBRS to resolve any billing or regulatory issues. A manifest (for class 1) or a delivery ticket (for class 2) is completed before a truck is allowed to discharge its load. The ticket includes the date, time, Company, WTF I.D. number, and initial flow meter integrator reading. As the truck discharges, the wastewater is pumped into the "day tank" or holding tank. The driver must sign the completed ticket to verify information on the ticket including the volume (initial and final integrator readings).
    Each tank's waste is analyzed for pH, Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Dissolved Oxygen consumption rate (D.O. uptake) before it is pumped to the Washburn Tunnel Facility for treatment. If a test indicates inhibition in the D.O. uptake analysis, and a holding tank is determined to be untreatable and unacceptable for treatment, all retained truck samples will be tested to determine which Company and driver is responsible for the delivery of the untreatable wastewater. That Company is responsible for the expense of ultimate disposal of the entire day's receipts. Ultimate disposal may include deep well injection, incineration or any other environmentally acceptable means. The composite tank samples are randomly analyzed for BODs , TSS, chromium and zinc.
    Each Non Industrial Company is required to enter into a contract with the Authority and provide a surety bond in the amount of $10,000 which will be utilized by the Authority to reimburse any expense it is forced to incur for the treatment of off-site disposal of any unacceptable wastewaters delivered by that Company. A rate structure is established each year by the Authority which assures the Authority an amount that will cover its capital costs and maintenance and operating costs. Each month the rate is calculated using this annual recovery costs established by the Authority and the total volume of wastewaters received by the Facility for that month. The monthly rate is then applied to each Company's volume of wastewater to determine the monthly charge for each Company.
    Each Industrial Company is required to enter into a contract with the Authority and provide the necessary insurance to protect the Authority for any unacceptable wastewaters delivered by that Company. A rate structure is set in the contract which assures the Authority an amount that will cover the costs of treating the wastewater. The billing rate includes charges for pounds of carbon, pounds of suspended solids, pounds of organic-nitrogen, laboratory fees, delivery fee, and administrative fees.