PORT ANGELES — Do you wash your car on your driveway or in the street? If you do you could be violating new stormwater regulations that will take effect in Port Angeles on Nov. 1.
The new federally mandated regulations are meant to reduce the amount of pollution discharged into streams and Port Angeles Harbor. The new requirements focus mostly on development and land use but also will require residents to wash their vehicles on a permeable surface, such as grass, or ensure that the water doesn’t drain into the city’s stormwater system.
To educate residents about the coming regulations, city staff will hold two presentations, one from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday and another Thursday from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
Port Angeles is required by the state Department of Ecology to implement the new regulations as a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Phase II city. The designation is based upon the city having a density of 1,000 people per square mile, and more than 10,000 residents. The city received the designation in January 2007 and is the only Phase II jurisdiction on the North Olympic Peninsula.
City Engineer Terri Partch said she doesn’t expect the city to punish people every time they are found to be washing their cars in violation of the rules. She said the city will focus more on education rather than punishing such violators.
“Basically I’d go out and talk to the guy,” she said. “Hopefully they would be willing to stop doing what they are doing … and go to a car wash.”
“We hope to be able to make people understand that the surrfacants in the soap kill fish.”
If the violations beame aggregious, Partch said the city could shut off the resident’s water.
