GreenWorks - Ideas for a Cleaner Environment

Community car washes are a popular fundraising activity for many organizations across the state. Few people realize, however, that this method of raising money can adversely affect our groundwater and surface waters. Depending on the location of the community car wash, pollutants such as detergents, oil, grease, salt, gasoline, and metals can contaminate groundwater or drain directly to surface waters, through storm drains and catch basins. The dirty wash water harms plants and animals that live in streams, rivers, lakes and coastal waters.

Before organizing a community car wash, the N.H. Department of Environmental Services (DES) strongly recommends that you consider using other fundraising methods. If you still decide to hold a community car wash event, please consider one of the following options, in this order of preference:

• Hold your event at a commercial car wash. Commercial car washes use much less water than community car washes, and the wash water is typically treated and discharged to a municipal sewer system, where the water receives additional treatment before being discharged to surface waters.
  
• Contact your local wastewater treatment facility or public works department. Before the car wash event, organizations should contact their local sewer district to determine if the water can be discharged to a sewer system.
  
• Contact a licensed septage hauler. In areas without a sewer or in communities without wastewater treatment facilities, the wastewater may be pumped by a licensed septage hauler from a plugged catch basin and trucked to a nearby wastewater treatment facility.
  
• Conduct the car wash on a permeable surface. Surface water impacts will be minimal if you hold your car wash on a ball field or gravel area where the water will infiltrate into the ground. Care should be taken to avoid areas within a wellhead protection area or other well recharge areas because of pollution concerns.
  
• Direct water towards a vegetated area and away from storm drains and other surface waters. If the washing must take place on a hard surface, water must be directed away from areas that drain to surface waters.
  In all cases, organizations and homeowners should adhere to the following guidelines.
  
• Wash the exterior of the vehicle only. Engine, undercarriage, and transmission washing is prohibited.
  
• Use regular low-pressure garden hoses. Nozzles with automatic shut-offs should be used to conserve water and provide additional pressure.
  
• Use non-toxic, biodegradable, and phosphate-free cleaners. Avoid using degreasing products, solvents, and tire cleaner products. If there is a question whether a cleaning product is a potential contaminant, the DES Groundwater Recharge Program can review the product’s ingredients; contact the Groundwater Recharge Program at (603) 271-2858.