With kids gearing up to head back to school, booster clubs and youth groups may take advantage of late summer days to hold car wash fund raisers. To help, Pierce County lends free car wash kits designed to keep soapy water out of storm drains and away from fish.
There is no charge to borrow the kits. To reserve one, contact Teresa Lewis at 253-798-2725. For more information go to www.piercecountywa.org/carwash.
Last month, the Spanaway-Graham-Eatonville girl's soccer team, the Angels, raised more than $200 to purchase new uniforms while using a fish-friendly kit borrowed from Public Works and Utilities.
"Car washes are really fun and we need uniforms, but we didn't want to hurt the fish," said Sophie Smolko, age 10, one of the team members who waved signs and scrubbed cars at the Evergreen Tree Service parking lot in Spanaway. "I think it made our car wash better. There was another car wash nearby, but ours was fish-friendly."
The kits keep soap, oil, and other pollutants from going down the storm drain and directly into streams, lakes, groundwater and Puget Sound. Soap and pollutants from cars can be particularly toxic to fish and other aquatic life. The kits help by directing the car wash runoff to a sewage treatment facility or a grassy area where it can be filtered.
The kits come with a catch basin insert, submersible pump, garden hose, extension cord, instructions, and everything else needed to make it work, including a large sign identifying the car wash as fish-friendly.
"We encourage residents to watch for these signs and make a point of patronizing car wash fundraisers that use the fish-friendly kit," said Dan Wrye, water quality manager for Surface Water Management. "Another good option is to use a commercial car wash where the water is recycled."
Wrye hopes other fundraisers will follow the Angels' lead. "Car washes are an easy and popular way for groups to raise money, so we're pleased to offer a solution that allows car washes without sacrificing fish," he said.
As an alternative to hosting your own car wash, the Puget Sound Car Wash Association has a fundraising program that allows charities to sell tickets for use at a commercial car wash. They sell tickets to groups at $2.00 each which are usually resold for up to $8.00. To find out more, contact 1-800-509-WASH or www.charitycarwash.org.
CONTACT: Teresa Lewis, education and outreach coordinator at 253-798-2725: or Carol Mockridge, Pierce County communication specialist, at 253-798-6228, or cmockri@co.pierce.wa.us
Find more Pierce County news at www.piercecountywa.org or follow us at twitter.com/pierceco.
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