Sell car wash coupons as alternative to traditional parking lot fundraisers

(Port Orchard, WA) – With warmer weather finally here, many groups may consider holding a car wash to raise money. In Kitsap County, local car wash operators and Kitsap County Surface and Stormwater Management Program “team up” on an alternative to parking lot fundraisers—the Fundraiser Car Wash Program. This program allows groups to sell coupons good for a basic car wash at commercial car washes at locations throughout the county. To get started, contact the Program Administrator at 360-697-1144. You can learn more about the program at the link shown at the end of this release.

“Water from car washing contains pollutants, and we want to make sure that this wash water does not end up in our streams and Puget Sound,” says Mindy Fohn, Water Quality Manager for Kitsap County’s Surface and Stormwater Management Program. “One of the most effective ways to keep vehicle wash water out of our waterways is to wash vehicles at a commercial car wash.”

Commercial property owners, such as a gas station or church, are responsible for preventing wash water from leaving their site and entering storm drains. “We are working with property owners to find solutions so that polluted runoff, including runoff from car washes, stays out of the storm system and therefore out of Puget Sound. Those considering hosting a fundraiser car wash are welcome to contact us for technical assistance on how best to dispose of this water responsibly,” says Fohn.

Car Washing at Home
When washing your car at home, wash it on the grass, gravel, or in an area where the wash water drains to a vegetated area instead of flowing down the driveway to a storm drain or ditch. Click here for a photo showing the right type of surface on which to wash a car at home.

Fundraiser Car Washes and Polluted Runoff
Many people may ask, “What’s the difference between washing a car in a parking lot or at a commercial car wash?” Fundraiser car washes generate a lot of polluted water, and this polluted runoff could flow untreated into the storm system and eventually Puget Sound.  In contrast, commercial car washes properly treat the wash water and then discharge it to the sanitary sewer system where it undergoes a thorough treatment process before being discharged into Puget Sound.

One fundraiser car wash generates over 1,000 gallons of polluted water. This water contains oils, grease, elements from brake linings, rust, trace amounts of benzene, and possibly chromium. Soap, even biodegradable soap, is toxic to fish. Several studies have analyzed the pollution generated from traditional parking lot car washes, including one done by Central Kitsap High School students and another by the City of Federal Way. Follow the links at the end of the release to reviews these studies.

When runoff from car washing flows to the stormwater system, including drains, storm ponds, swales or ditches, it receives little or no treatment. It then flows to creeks, lakes and Puget Sound, bringing with it all those pollutants.  Stormwater systems are not designed to treat large volumes of this concentrated toxic soup of water.

Additional resources:

• Click here for information about the car wash coupon fundraising program
  (http://www.kitsapgov.com/sswm/carwash.htm)

• Click here for the study done by Central Kitsap High School students

• Click here for the Federal Way study

• For more information about the Surface and Stormwater Management Program click here.
  (http://www.kitsapgov.com/sswm)

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