CITY OF MANSFIELD STORM WATER MANAGEMENT
VEHICLE WASHING
When You Wash Your Vehicle, Are You Also Cleaning Our Local Waterways?
If you are washing your vehicle in the street, the answer is most likely yes. If you are washing your vehicle in a designated car wash, but not all of the water is going down the drain, the answer is also likely yes.
Vehicle wash runoff that runs along streets, or out of washing compartments ends up in our storm drain system, and ultimately in our local waterways.
Most detergents contain some amount of phosphorous. Phosphorous, and phosphorous compounds, limit the amount of growth that typically take place in aquatic environments. Adding these compounds to aquatic environments can result in algal blooms, and decrease fish populations.
How Can I Keep Detergents Out Of Our Waterways?
Washing vehicles at designated car washes, and ensuring the water and soap flow into the drain is one of the best ways to keep detergents out of waterways. These facilities either treat wash water or send it to the water treatment facility.
When washing vehicles at home, it is best to wash them over a grass or gravel covered area. This will allow some filtering to take place before the water enters our local waterways. Phosphorous on lawns will help to promote vegetation growth there as well.
What Other Problems Are There With Vehicle Washing?
As we drive our vehicles they pick up road grim: oil, grease and transmission fluids as well as dirt. When we clean our vehicles these substances are washed off and eventually enter our waterways if the vehicles are washed in the street.
These substances eventually end up in our waterways causing problems for aquatic life and impairing the quality of our water. The best way to prevent these substances from entering our waterways is again to wash your vehicle at a designated washing facility or over a grass or gravel covered area.
What About Car Wash Fund Raisers?
It has been a long time tradition for different groups to hold car washes in order to raise funds for field trips, equipment, and many other reasons. However, just because there are good intentions behind the washing, does not mean the potential for pollution is any less.
When holding car washes in parking lots, it is best to try to make sure the runoff water flows over a landscaped or grassy area, instead of down the storm drain. If possible, try to host the event on a grass or gravel covered area.
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