Car Washing

Outdoor car washing results in large amounts of dirt, road grime, oil, and heavy metals flowing into waterways. The soapy water used to wash the car flows down the street and into storm drains. Water that enters storm drains travels directly to the nearest body of water without being treated. 

Use a commercial car wash

This is the best option to keep harmful chemicals from entering our streams and lakes. Commercial car wash water is recycled and sent to the wastewater plant for treatment.

Wash on your lawn

When washing your car at home, wash it on your lawn or a pervious surface, so the wash water can soak into the ground and pollutants will be filtered out. Use phosphorus-free soap to decrease the amount of nutrients entering our waterways. Excess nutrients harm water quality and aquatic life.

Utilize an At Home Car Care Kit

• Whatcom County Outdoor "Washing At Home" Kit

• City residents can rent a Home Car Care Pollution Prevention kit by contacting: bppa@cob.org

Car Wash Fundraisers

• Make your car wash fundraiser watershed friendly!

• Sell commercial car wash coupons from local car wash companies. This allows you to sell tickets any time of year, expand fundraising beyond one event, and doesn’t leave you dependent on the weather. If you are interested in selling car wash coupons for your fundraiser, contact Terry Todd at Sunset Car Wash, 734-1300 ext. 10.

• Call the Public Works Stormwater group to request an assessment of your own car wash site. You can reserve a car wash kit that will pump dirty wash water to a nearby sewer drain.

Wash Right