Clean scene: United Storm Water prevents pollutants from fouling drain channels, allowing local governments to meet federal runoff water standards.FOR most businesses, stiffer environmental regulations are just another headache. But United Storm Water Inc. owes its very existence to the federal Clean Water Act. The company was founded in 1995, shortly after a federal District Court judge upheld the act and instructed the California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is a government agency in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems in California. to take steps to take action; to move in a matter. See also: Step to clean pollutants from the runoff that come from highways and maintenance facilities. Caltrans had to find contractors for the job. The Perry family business at the time, a hazardous waste Hazardous waste Any solid, liquid, or gaseous waste materials that, if improperly managed or disposed of, may pose substantial hazards to human health and the environment. Every industrial country in the world has had problems with managing hazardous wastes. cleanup company called United Pumping Service Inc., already owned equipment that it used to clean drains and lateral piping systems of hazardous wastes. The next step was a gamble: buying 10 new trucks and chasing four state contracts in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , Venture, Orange and San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. counties and the Inland Empire In·land Empire A region of the northwest United States between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, comprising eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, northern Idaho, and western Montana. Farming, lumbering, and mining are important to the area. . It got the contracts, and ultimately, a new company was born. "I think it's a matter of right place at the right time," said company President Eduardo Perry Jr. Hazardous beginnings Perry's mother and father started United Pumping Service, in unincorporated Los Angeles County near the City of Industry, in 1970. Over the years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time Perrys were involved in a number of high profile projects, including removing hazardous byproducts from development of the B-2 stealth bomber at Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company is the third largest defense contractor for the U.S. Corp. and helping emergency crews rescue a construction worker buried alive as the result of an excavation accident in 1994. The Clean Water Act took effect in 1977, creating a federal structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into U.S. waters. However, enforcement was lax in California until the 1995 federal court ruling that arose from a lawsuit by environmentalists. In the wake of the ruling, United Pumping Service anticipated rising demand from municipalities around the state. The family began brainstorming how to maximize the opportunity. With the help of a waste industry packaging manufacturer in Louisiana called PacTec Inc., it began development of a filter that would keep contaminants from getting into storm drains. "It became a huge issue to clean the material from the drains," Perry said. "We thought a step further: let's come up with something to keep the material out of the drains and be proactive rather than reactive." The Perrys created United Storm Water Inc. in 1999 and split it from United Pumping Service. The company secured a patent for its drain filter, called DrainPac, in 2000. DrainPac works like a coffee filter inside a storm drain. The heavy duty plastic basket hangs at the mouth of the drain and catches debris before it gets into the system. Baskets lined with absorbent absorbent /ab·sor·bent/ (-sor´bent) 1. able to take in, or suck up and incorporate. 2. a tissue structure involved in absorption. 3. a substance that absorbs or promotes absorption. fabrics soak up oils and other pollutants that wash off roadways when it rains. Rick Rudometkin, streets manager in the Dana Point Public Works Department Many governments worldwide have had departments or ministries referred to as the Public Works Department either formally or informally. In Australia: - New South Wales -
"Whatever we want we get," he said. "We pay them fair market for their services, but they're good about coming down right away and giving us exactly what we want." By creating a new company for its stoma stoma or stomate Any of the microscopic openings or pores in the epidermis of leaves and young stems. They are generally more numerous on the undersides of leaves. water business, United Storm Water was removed from the liabilities that come with doing business with hazardous waste and contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. sites. Because of Superfund laws, there's a risk that a site where United Pumping Service worked could be turned into a Superfund site, "and anyone who generates waste or transports waste could be asked to contribute to the cleanup cost," Perry said. Recent growth United Storm Water focuses almost exclusively on storm water--cleaning, installation of DrainPac, and monitoring flow through drain systems. After heavy rains, United Storm Water crews fan out among their client jurisdictions to bag materials in every drain. Workers segregate seg·re·gate v. seg·re·gat·ed, seg·re·gat·ing, seg·re·gates v.tr. 1. To separate or isolate from others or from a main body or group. See Synonyms at isolate. 2. the waste and determine its makeup and then present the client with a report. Revenues have more than quadrupled since 2000, to $7.4 million, and its 13,000-square-foot Spanish-style administration building on the family's eight-acre corporate campus dwarfs the former 5,000-square-foot headquarters. As United Storm Water markets its business in Washington and Oregon, Perry said, the family bought another three acres 200 feet away for the next expansion. Another sign of growth: United Storm Water has a second business dredging man-made lakes and ponds for golf courses and homeowner associations. The company is bidding on a number of projects at Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, marinas to remove silt and clear waterways for traffic. United Storm Water remains a family business. Although Eduardo Perry Jr.'s parents aren't all that active any longer in either company, they still keep a hand in things. The management team also includes Perry's brother, Vice President Daniel Perry, along with Eduardo's son, daughter, uncle, aunt, nephew, two cousins and a brother-in-law. Perry and his brother are grooming Eduardo Perry III and Daniel Perry Jr. to assume the business in the future. And the company's reputation makes the outlook appear excellent. "Their maintenance people are top notch," said Harry Slikker, water resources specialist in the Santa Barbara Public Works Department. "The crews are very efficient and that's about as good as it gets." PROFILE United Storm Water Inc. Year Founded: 1999 Core Business: Installation and maintenance of storm drain filters Revenues in 2002: $6.2 million Revenues in 2003: $7.4 million Employees in 2002: 20 Employees in 2003: 20 Goal: Continue to provide services and products that will protect waterways Driving Force: Perpetuation of family business |
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