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