Town of Waynesville issued the following announcement on Mar. 9.
For many people spring cleaning means washing your car. Did you know washing your car at home can harm the environment? The average homeowner uses 116 gallons of water to clean a car. During a drought hand washing your can put additional stress on the local water supply. However, the amount of water used to wash the car may not be the worst part of the washing process.
The dirty water produced while cleaning your car is toxic. The water that comes from your car can contain soap, detergents, exhaust fume residues, gasoline, oil, heavy metals, rust, and sediment. When a car is washed in a driveway the dirty water can flow into the stormdrain where it is then taken, untreated, to the nearest waterway.
Once in the waterway, this toxic water can degrade water quality and harm wildlife.
The best solution for keeping your car and the environment clean is to use a commercial car wash facility. A commercial car wash uses up to 60% less water during the cleaning process and the water collected after the car wash is not dumped into the storm drains. Some car wash facilities even recycle their water!! If you prefer washing your car at home here are a few tips to help reduce the environmental impact:
1. Use a nozzle at the end of the hose – using a nozzle will help to reduce the amount of water used during the washing process.
2. Use biodegradable or phosphate free soaps and detergents – when phosphate enters waterways it can produce algae blooms which are known to interfere with recreational activities like fishing and swimming. As algae decay the process uses up the oxygen and can cause fish kills.
3. Wash your car on the lawn or permeable surface – washing a car on a permeable surface will allow the dirty water to seep into the ground where it is naturally filtered before entering the ground water or waterway.
4. Don’t dump the dirty water in the driveway or down a stormdrain – instead dump used water onto the lawn where it can be filtered before entering the ground water or waterway. The dirty water can also be dispose of in your sink or bathtub where it can be processed by the water treatment facility.
By following these easy tips you can help keep our waterways clean for all to enjoy.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Town of Waynesville
