Washing your Car? Read this first!

Car washing: it seems like a small thing, but it can cause big problems. Most of the storm drains in Redmond flow into the lake, river or local streams. So when we allow wash water from our cars to flow into storm drains it adds a lot of pollutants to our local waterways.

The problem starts with the soap -- even biodegradable soaps can harm creatures living in local waters. Researchers have found that even the smallest amount of soap can cause fish to more easily absorb other pollutants in the water. Soap and water loosens oil and grime, but also picks up and holds all sorts of particles. As a result the wash water from a car can contain oils, grease, elements from brake linings, rust, trace amounts of benzene and possibly chromium, and a few other unhealthy things. To read more about the true impact of car washing, check a 2002 article from Stormwater Magazine at: http://www.forester.net/sw_0205_take.html.

While it is not illegal to wash your car, it is illegal to allow that waste water to run into storm drains. The City rarely fines residents, choosing instead to enforce this ordinance by making people aware of the problem and providing alternatives.

Here are a few simple things you can do to keep our lake, river, and streams cleaner and safer for our families, and make waterways better habitat for wildlife and their families: hanks to a new King County service, the unpleasant and complicated process of removing an abandoned junk vehicle just became a whole lot easier.

• Use a commercial car wash that recycles its water or sends its wash water to a sanitary sewer.
   
• Drive you car onto your lawn and allow the grass and soil to act as a natural filter, capturing the material from your car. (Please note: grassy swales are connected to the storm drain system and hence to local waterways. For this reason allowing wash water to drain into swales is not appropriate.)
   
• If you plan to hold a fundraising car wash, contact the City of Redmond to arrange to borrow the Charity Car Wash Kit that diverts wash water from storm drain (see accompanying article).
   
• If you donate to a fundraising car wash, make sure that they are using a kit that diverts water from the storm drain system.

Charity Car Wash Events

The City of Redmond encourages groups to look for an alternative to the car wash as a method to raise money. Though these events have become something of a tradition, they come at a considerable price to the environment. For alternative fund raising ideas see below.

However, should you decide that you absolutely must have a car wash, do it right. The City offers a Car Wash Kit free of charge. The kit is easy to use, but does not work in all locations. For this reason we ask you contact us two weeks prior to your car wash event. Contact Peter Holte: 425-556-2822 or pholte@redmond.gov.

Alternatives to a Fundraising Carwash

Instead of a car wash, consider one of these other fundraising events

• Raise money by gathering sponsors and working in a local restoration site. Sponsors pledge to pay some amount per person hours donated at the site. So if 10 people donate 4 hours and a sponsor pledges $1 per person hour, the group makes $40.
• Raise money by gathering sponsors and stenciling storm drains. Sponsors pledge to pay some amount for every storm drain marked with the message, “Dump no Waste. Drains to Stream.”
• Here's a great alternative to hosting your own event-The Puget Sound Car Wash Association offers custom-printed car wash coupons at a deep discount to non-profit organizations like schools and teams.  Your group sells the coupons at retail price and keeps the difference for your cause.  More than 50 car washes in the Puget Sound region participate in the coupon program.  For more information check out www.charitycarwash.org.