California has just mandated strict General Waste Discharge Requirements for Winery Process Water.\u00a0\u00a0These new regulations will greatly impact small wineries in the State that were previous exempt. Many small wineries (840 \u2013 8,400 cases) will be classified as Tier 1 dischargers and will be required to file permits, build treatment facilities, and perform expensive monitoring and reporting.<\/p>\n
The issue is water usage and wastewater discharge from cleaning of fermentation and processing operations. The regulation itself is sound.\u00a0\u00a0Wineries need to stop wasting water and generating contaminated runoff.<\/p>\n
GOfermentor <\/a>has always\u00a0been at the forefront of water conservation. Our single-use biodegradable liners\u00a0do\u00a0not require any cleaning, and wineries using this equipment generate\u00a0almost no wastewater. The built-in press eliminates the need for cleaning a conventional press. GOfermentor technology\u00a0has been in use world-wide for over 7 years and has been proven to make\u00a0superior wines requiring minimal preservatives.<\/p>\n In addition to water savings during harvest, much water wastage in a typical winery takes place the rest of the year in cleaning and sanitizing tanks. Small wineries typically employ variable capacity tanks which are prone to oxidation and spoilage. \u00a0These can be replaced by our SmartBarrel<\/a>\u00a0storage liners. These are single-use,\u00a0so\u00a0no cleaning means\u00a0no wash water. The liners operate with no headspace, so no topping-off, ever. Available for IBC totes(330 gal), or barrels\/drums(60 gal). Soon available to retrofit VT tanks up to\u00a0330 gallons.\u00a0\u00a0Your VT nightmare is transformed into a structural support that never need be sanitized again.<\/p>\n Small wineries in California using GOfermentor\u2019s unique patented technologies can easily lower their water usage below the 10,000 gallon\/year threshold, putting them in the\u00a0De minimis<\/em>\u00a0category. This exempts them from even\u00a0registering for this new regulation.<\/p>\n