Halt, put that hose down NOW, you are under arrest

[Yurt]

I think SLO actually beats SF in environmental silliness now.


County may ban washing cars at home
Supervisors will take a final vote Jan. 15 on a plan that would also bar sweeping debris into gutters
By Bob Cuddy
It could soon be illegal to wash cars in the driveway or sweep leaves into the gutter under a plan tentatively approved by the county Board of Supervisors.

The Stormwater Pollution Prevention and Discharge Control Ordinance is designed to ensure that impure substances don’t end up in streams and aquifers.

In practical terms, the ordinance means that people would not be able to soap their cars or change their oil and let the effluent run into the gutter.

It would also be illegal to throw a soft-drink can into a fountain, abandon an old stove along the side of a road or sweep dirt or leaves into the gutter.

Only pure rainwater would be acceptable.

The ordinance would apply to all county-owned storm drain systems and all natural streams within most developed lands in the county’s unincorporated areas.

There are more than 1,300 miles of roads in unincorporated areas of San Luis Obispo, and all have some sort of drainage component, according to Mark Hutchinson, environmental program manager for the county Department of Public Works.

Hutchinson has been taking his presentation on the road since March. He said, for the most part, he has met with strong public support.

Hutchinson said education is the key. When people realize what the county is asking of them, and why, they generally are willing to go along.

Those who don’t could face fines and criminal prosecution.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/183/story/209464.html

[hjmick]

You guys in SLO are just plain kooky.

[April15]

San Francisco has a mixed storm and sewer system. All water is run through a sanitation process before being released into the ocean. To my knowledge no other city in California has such a system of mixed drains.

[Yurt]

San Francisco has a mixed storm and sewer system. All water is run through a sanitation process before being released into the ocean. To my knowledge no other city in California has such a system of mixed drains.

parts of monterey, pacific grove

[Yurt]

You guys in SLO are just plain kooky.

i'd better not see you washing your car....

[manu1959]

San Francisco has a mixed storm and sewer system. All water is run through a sanitation process before being released into the ocean. To my knowledge no other city in California has such a system of mixed drains.

that is quite true and when it rains super hard you can imagine where the sewage backs up......

[hjmick]

i'd better not see you washing your car....

Down here in VC we're still allowed to wash our cars as far as I know. Though this time of year I prefer the car wash myself.

[April15]

that is quite true and when it rains super hard you can imagine where the sewage backs up......

Actually the City just pays the fines and dumps into the ocean. They do have or are building a massive underground storage system to hold water in the event of a massive rain.

[diuretic]

Since we're in drought and on level three water restrictions anyone caught washing their car with anything but a bucket and a mop is immediately mobbed by neighbours and beaten up.

SLO is doing the right thing though, seriously, it's those things that do improve your local environment and water management.

[Yurt]

Since we're in drought and on level three water restrictions anyone caught washing their car with anything but a bucket and a mop is immediately mobbed by neighbours and beaten up.

SLO is doing the right thing though, seriously, it's those things that do improve your local environment and water management.

give me a break. stopping people from washing their cars is not going to solve the problem. btw, agrigulture is exempt, so all the stuff from the farms is still allowed to flow into the ocean, but you people seem to think that if we don't allow people to wash their cars then all will be ok and I can sleep safely tonight thinking I did a good deed for the environment.

its a joke.

[hjmick]

give me a break. stopping people from washing their cars is not going to solve the problem. btw, agrigulture is exempt, so all the stuff from the farms is still allowed to flow into the ocean, but you people seem to think that if we don't allow people to wash their cars then all will be ok and I can sleep safely tonight thinking I did a good deed for the environment.

its a joke.

Come on down here to VC Yurt, you can wash your car in my driveway.

[Yurt]

Come on down here to VC Yurt, you can wash your car in my driveway.

[diuretic]

give me a break. stopping people from washing their cars is not going to solve the problem. btw, agrigulture is exempt, so all the stuff from the farms is still allowed to flow into the ocean, but you people seem to think that if we don't allow people to wash their cars then all will be ok and I can sleep safely tonight thinking I did a good deed for the environment.

its a joke.

No, because of the drought we can't wash our cars with hoses, we can use buckets. We can't water our gardens with hoses or sprinklers, we can use buckets or watering cans. We get three hours a week using a hand-held hose and sprinkler to water our gardens and that has to be either Saturday or Sunday between certain hours. We can't use a hose to wash the house, fences, driveways etc. A pool can't be filled from empty. I won't go on but those are level 3 restrictions. Some places in Australia that are normally pretty good for water are on level 6 and level 7 restrictions. It's no joke here I can tell you.

[Yurt]

No, because of the drought we can't wash our cars with hoses, we can use buckets. We can't water our gardens with hoses or sprinklers, we can use buckets or watering cans. We get three hours a week using a hand-held hose and sprinkler to water our gardens and that has to be either Saturday or Sunday between certain hours. We can't use a hose to wash the house, fences, driveways etc. A pool can't be filled from empty. I won't go on but those are level 3 restrictions. Some places in Australia that are normally pretty good for water are on level 6 and level 7 restrictions. It's no joke here I can tell you.

I know for a drought, I was talking about San Luis's reasoning of keeping the water clean. SLO has been on drought restrictions before, that is I can understand, but not washing our cars is not going to keep the water "pure"

[Yurt]

Car-wash ban goes down the drain

It’s all right to wash your car in your driveway after all, the county Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday.

Supervisors, who endured bellows of outrage from residents about car washing after announcing a proposed storm-water protection law in November, amended the law to allow exemptions for “incidental” or relatively harmless uses in the county’s unincorporated areas.

The Stormwater Pollution Prevention and Discharge Control Ordinance is designed to ensure that impure substances don’t end up in streams and aquifers. It is required by the state and federal governments.

The board approved the new law Tuesday on a 4-0 vote (with Supervisor Katcho Achadjian abstaining, because he owns and operates gas stations).

The law will take effect in 30 days.

After the November hearing, angry residents interpreted the law to mean they could not soap down their automobiles on their property.

The county says the law did not ban the practice. But it did outlaw harmful runoff from a car wash going into storm drains and thus into creeks and eventually the ocean.

On Tuesday, supervisors heard from more upset residents.

“What am I supposed to do, collect the water (from a car washing) and put it down the sink?” asked Robert Olson. “It’s bureaucratic hair-splitting to say this isn’t a ban on car washing.”

sudsational