How does runoff from car wash fundraisers harm the Chesapeake Bay and the environment?
When washing cars in a paved area, the wash water, which contains soap and detergent, residues from exhaust fumes, brake pads, gasoline and motor oil, washes off the cars, flows off the pavement and into nearby storm drains (usually openings in the curb or gutter). Unlike the sewers that serve our homes and businesses (called sanitary sewers), which carry wastewater to treatment plants, storm drains carry any water entering them directly and quickly to the nearest stream with no pollutant removal. Soap, detergents (even biodegradable ones) can be poisonous to crabs, oysters, and rockfish, damaging gills and depleting the water of oxygen. A single fundraising event can pour thousands of gallons of soapy, oily, and gritty water into local streams. Bay-Friendly Tip Consider holding your car washing fundraiser at a commercial car wash. Wash water from commercial car washes goes to sewage treatment plants rather than down a storm drain. Call your local car wash to ask if they offer fundrais
