CA man faces jail time for driveway washing
BELMONT, CA — A man here is facing time behind bars for his insistence on washing his car in his driveway, Torque News reported.
The May 9 story stated that Vic Trierweiler was warned by San Mateo County that he would face a $500 fine or up to six months of jail time if he keeps washing his vehicles on his driveway.
The California Regional Water Quality Control Board maintains the practice is illegal, and Trierweiler received a letter from the city’s Public Works Department reading “washing activities can only be performed on vegetated or grassy areas where the wash water can be absorbed into the ground instead of allowing it to enter the storm drain system.”
The letter came after Trierweiler earned a verbal warning from a city and stormwater inspector who told him the dangers of carwash soap entering storm drain systems.
The inspector told Trierweiler that driveway carwashing practices were prohibited in an ordinance passed to protect sewer rate increases, and he offered a coupon to a local carwash.
Update: Public Works Director Weighs in on Car Wash Issue
In an email to Belmont Patch on Wednesday, Afshin Oskoui, Belmont's director of public works explained the city ordinance regarding car washing in driveways .
Oskoui starts out by saying that the city needs to do a better job communicating to and educating the public on the rules and requirements regarding car washing.
"First of all, washing a car in your driveway is not a prohibited activity. However, the issue referenced in your article is part of a broader Municipal Storm Water Permit, issued by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board under the San Francisco Bay Region Municipal Regional Storm Water NPDES Permit," said Oskoui.
He explained that the permit covers all of the cities that have storm water discharges into the San Francisco Bay.
"In a way of background this permit covers municipalities in San Francisco Bay that collect and discharge storm water and urban runoff containing pollutants through their storm water conveyance systems. The Regional Board issued the required NPDES permit (commonly referred to as the Municipal Storm Water Permit) to local jurisdictions including the City of Belmont, in 2009/10, which requires the implementation of programs to reduce pollutants in storm water and urban runoff."
