Q:

Dear Ashley,

My husband and I have a neighbour who washes his car at home at least twice a week throughout the summer and it makes my skin crawl to see all the water and soap going into the storm drain. I’m wondering what I could say to him without causing a big ruckus. It seems like a terrible waste, so any advice you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Kindly,

Sally

A:

Dear Sally,

Home car washing, although seemingly harmless to many people, poses a great threat to the health of our local watersheds. Wastewater from car washing not only uses precious water but carries with it soap, sediment, salt, lubricants, oil, and heavy metals, all of which run through the storm sewers and into our rivers untreated. These particles and chemicals impact water quality, as well as fish habitat.

It is for these reasons that the City of Calgary has implemented a drainage bylaw, which encourages residents to use commercial carwashes. Residents wanting to wash at home are not permitted to use soap, even biodegradable varieties, and dirt and oil must not enter the storm drain. Those not intent on being good environmental stewards face fines ranging from $75 to $10,000. A commercial carwash, on the other hand, will cost less than $10, saving people more than just a few bucks.

Unlike washing a car at home, commercial carwashes send their wastewater through the sanitary sewer system, ensuring the water passes through a sewage treatment plant before re-entering the Bow River. This helps to minimize, and in some cases eliminate, potential aesthetic, physical, chemical and biological threats to aquatic ecosystems.

In terms of water use, the International Carwash Association – the industry group that represents commercial carwashes – reports that commercial carwashes use less than half the water of even the most diligent of home car washers. Furthermore, the self-serve bays, with their nifty high-pressure water wands, use up 6 times less water than an automatic conveyor touchless car wash. Water use for the other carwash types can be found at the City of Calgary’s Wash Wise webpage.

And while we’re on the subject, I should caution kids and parents against car wash fundraisers, as they will likely violate of the City’s drainage bylaw previously mentioned. Of course, this can be avoided by partnering with a commercial carwash or by sticking with the tried and true – those tasty boxes of chocolate covered almonds.

Now, concerning your neighbour, I’d recommend conveying some of your newfound knowledge and seeing what happens. It may not have occurred to him that car washing at home could create so many problems. If he doesn’t respond to this then you can always call the City’s 3-1-1 number to report a breach of the bylaw. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to this but I can tell you that it’s far better than doing nothing.

Happy washing,

Ashley