As we head into an extended stretch of good weather that promises to bring the warmest temperatures we’ve seen so far this year, some people are going to take advantage by getting outside to wash their vehicles.
If you live in Vancouver and want to wash your car, you better not do it on the street. Unless you wash it on a dirt or gravel driveway or on the lawn, you could be liable for a $375 fine.
No such restrictions apply to Prince George, where it’s OK to get out a bucket of a soapy water and a hose to give your vehicle a bath on the street or in your driveway.
“Residents can wash their cars on the street as long as the only thing entering our storm sewers is the water used to clean the vehicle,” said city spokesperson Mike Lee. “If a vehicle is caked in mud or other material (that leaves a chunky mess on the street), then residents must wash it off the street.”
The city does have several commercial vehicle wash operations, some of which offer no-touch automated service which allows customers to just drive into an enclosure to let the machine do the work.
Or if you prefer to do it yourself using a coin-operated hose or brush attachment, the heated water makes it easier to cut through the grime than cold water out of a garden hose at home.
Under the city’s storm sewer bylaw, commercial operators are not allowed to discharge wastewater from vehicle washing into the sanitary sewer system unless they are equipped with one or more oil-water separators designed to produce wastewater that complies with what the city deems acceptable.
An operator of a vehicle wash operation must not discharge wastewater that contains prohibited or restricted substances, or release wastewater from carpet cleaning, recreational vehicles, oily cloth washing or engine washing, unless it has received additional treatment authorized by the city.
