Several individuals running mobile car washing businesses while parked along West Morrison and South Western avenues were told to leave on Jan. 14 after the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) received an anonymous noise complaint that morning.
The streets, located near the La Vista Apartments, are frequented by dozens of mobile washing business owners every weekend, according to SMPD Sgt. Eligio Lara, who said the department often receives complaints about mobile washing businesses taking up street parking spaces and failing to comply with city regulations.
But at 9 a.m. on Jan. 14, a Sunday, Lara said an anonymous caller complained of extremely loud noises early in the morning, probably caused by the pressure washers that mobile washing businesses often use to clean cars.
Lara said SMPD officers used the complaint as an opportunity to check permits and business licenses, which mobile car wash owners must acquire through the city and must show to officers without a warning. Officers also asked washers without permits and licenses to leave the area.
While Lara said many mobile business owners working on Jan. 14 did have the proper paperwork, most of them failed to comply with city municipal codes mandating that all commercial car wash facilities properly dispose of contaminated water, thus keeping it out of storm drains that lead to waterways. Water contaminated with cleaning chemicals—even biodegradable soaps—oil, grease, heavy metals, and paint can harm waterways and the wildlife living in them.
“They know about it, they’re just not doing it,” Lara said.
Pollution prevention fact sheets detailing why and how washers should properly dispose of wastewater are provided to all mobile car washers applying for permits, Lara said. According to one fact sheet, Section 8-12.201 of the Santa Maria Municipal Code prohibits discharges of untreated wastewater. Section 9-4.301 requires all car wash facilities to have water-recycling facilities.
The fact sheets suggest sealing off nearby grated inlets that lead directly to storm drains while washing, using sump pumps to suck up wastewater, and using sandbags to divert water to vegetated areas like lawns.
Lara said businesses not in compliance with city regulations could face administrative fines of up to $1,000.
To find out more about how to prevent wastewater runoff visit cityofsantamaria.org.
This article appears in Jan 18-25, 2018.