No Washing in Washington

Washington State is telling local governments that they need to ban carwashing in driveways, where runoff goes into storm drains and pollutes groundwater.

1 minute read

September 30, 2008, 11:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

"Unlike public sanitary sewer systems that clean wastes from water, storm drain systems in most communities empty straight into streams and eventually rivers and oceans.

'Clearly you cannot dump your bucket of wash water, or as you are hosing down your car, you're not supposed to allow that into a storm drain,' says Kim Schmanke, spokeswoman for the department.

Mark Muhlhauser, 41, who washes his Toyota Highlander nearly every weekend outside his Vancouver, Wash., home, has a simple message for regulators: Come get him.

'I will wash it this weekend,' he said defiantly. 'It's just totally crazy. I don't think anybody's going to follow it. Everybody I've talked to, they're still planning on washing their cars.'"

FULL STORY: No driveway carwashes, Wash. state says

Monday, September 29, 2008 in USA Today

Social / Demographics Washington Water

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