The six amendments passed by York City Council on Aug. 16 simply made technical changes to the stormwater management ordinance.
They were fairly dry and passed without much discussion or controversy, stormwater management not being one of the more controversial issues facing the city.
And besides, there wasn’t much the city could do about it. The changes were mandated by the state Department of Environmental Protection, and were intended to improve the water quality of streams, rivers and, ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay.
However, in the changes was a ban on washing your car in the city under certain circumstances.
Yes, it is now illegal – sort of – to wash your car in York City.
Technically, you can still wash your car, but you can’t use any cleaners or soaps — even those considered “green” — when you’re looking to improve your ride.
You can, depending on the city, rinse your car with water, or wash it with soap in the grass or on a gravel pad. But you can’t use cleaners or soaps on streets, alleys, driveways or any other paved, impervious surface that allows sewage to flow into storm drains.
Word has just gotten out about the ban and the city is expecting a comeback.
“A lot,” said Lettice Brown, the city’s stormwater management coordinator.
The city’s strategy for dealing with this blow?
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“We’re going to have to do a lot of education on this,” Mayor Michael Helfrich said.
To be clear, neither the city administration nor the city council had anything to do with the DEP-mandated ban.
Suburban municipalities also have car wash restrictions in their ordinances. West Manchester City Manager Kelly Kelch said his township allows residential car washes if the discharge “does not contain contaminants.” He said York Township and Manchester have similar language in their ordinances.
But suburban municipalities see more of an impact on water quality from lawn fertilizer seeping into the stormwater management system, he said.
In a release, the DEP explained, “There is no problem with washing your car. It’s just how and where you do it.”
DEP spokesman Jamar Thrasher explained that previously, the DEP “allowed the discharge of water from individual car washes.” However, this year’s model ordinance, written to comply with clean water standards, was amended to allow only car washes that result in water being discharged into storm drains that do not contain soap or solvents, which are considered polluter under state control. the law of flows. “Residential car wash water with cleaning agents can be discharged into a sanitary sewer or a vegetated area such as a lawn,” he said.
Washing your car on a driveway, or driveway, or in a garage without drains results in sewage flowing into storm drains. That water then flows, untreated, into local streams and eventually makes its way to the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake. Most soaps and car cleaning solutions contain phosphates and other chemicals that harm water quality and damage wildlife habitats.
The DEP recommends that if you must have a clean ride, use a commercial car wash, either a self-serve or car wash, because the water used in those operations flows to water treatment plants or is recycled.
Or you can wash your car on the lawn or in a layer of gravel where the water can seep into the soil – the soil acts as a filter to remove harmful pollutants.
York is not the only municipality that has had to pass a car wash ban. The DEP estimates that about 950 municipalities in the state must adopt the change by the end of September to stay in compliance with state law.
Brown said the city would not cite first-time offenders, seeking to educate rather than punish. Subsequent offenses may lead to citations, fines imposed by the District Magistrate Judge.
Helfrich, who served as the Lower Susquehanna River Conservator before being elected mayor, said the ban may be a nuisance, but the goal is helpful.
“These are definitely a move in the right direction for our waterways,” he said.
Columnist/reporter Mike Argento has been on staff at the York Daily Record since 1982. Contact him at [email protected].