Honolulu Lite
In the old days, I would just say washing cars isn't hurting the ocean. But now I know the ocean is not just an ocean, but an entire environment. And everyone knows that the worst thing we humans can do is go around ruining an environment, no matter what kind of environment it is.
So somewhere, some Save-The-Earth types have decided that washing cars is a massive contributor to ocean pollution. And now condo owners have been told not to wash their cars because the soapy runoff goes into the storm drains and into the ocean.
What the ocean-protectors don't realize is that the minuscule amount of runoff contributed by car-washers is simply a "drop in the ocean" compared to the evil runoff that occurs every time it rains.
There simply aren't that many people who wash their cars to really make a difference.
Think about what happens when it rains: water hits thousands of dirty, tar and shingle roofs and runs off into gutters and eventually ends up in storm drains. Rain also pounds down on thousands of parking lots that are covered with oil, break fluid and innumerable types of filth. That rain runs off into the storm drains. The rain also pounds down on the thousands of miles of roadways on the island, roadways made with asphalt, concrete and chemicals. Bits of the roadway actually run off every time it rains, that's why the roads are constantly under repair.
Then there is the grease, grime, gasoline, tire rubber and other junk that collects on the roadway that also washes into the storm drains.
The rain also lands on filthy garbage cans, dirty alleyways, golf courses, dead animals, rotting vegetation, overly sun-blocked tourists and and everything else that constitutes this little chunk of land environment we call home.
All of this noxious runoff, millions and millions of gallons of it, goes into the storm drains and out into the ocean.
Now, compared to this deluge, think of the amount of runoff generated by some guy who washes his car once a month. The proportion of car-wash runoff versus what is generated by any old rainstorm is probably less than the proportion of vermouth-to-gin in the average martini.
AND this does not even begin to touch on the issue that our sewage treatment plants are so overloaded they can't even deal with household sewage. When we have a big rain, the sewage treatment plants sometimes throw open the gates and let untreated sewage flow into the ocean.
I've seen Kaneohe Bay after a big rain when it looks more like chocolate milk then salt water. In a few days, the bay flushes itself and the water is clean again. It's not pristine water. But the fish don't complain. I paddle in the bay all the time and I can report that the water is usually so clear you can watch fish dart among the coral heads.
The point is that it is just stupid to ban people from washing their cars. It's one of those half-backed, feel-good ideas that do absolutely nothing to protect the ocean environment, or the ocean, for that matter.
Are we ready to ban washing down driveways, parking lots after barbecue chicken sales, houses before they are repainted, roadways under construction to control dust and sidewalks covered with mud? Honolulu will look like Mexico City if that happens.
It's clear that we shouldn't be dumping hazardous materials, solvents and chemicals directly into storm drains. But that's a lot different from telling some guy he can't hose off his truck a couple of times a year (Which is about as often as I manage it).
Like I said, I'm no scientist. But what do these geniuses think happens when dirty cars are left out in the rain?
