Car wash fundraisers have proven to be an effective and fun means of raising money to support charity events and organizations. If soapy waste water is allowed to flow into storm drains, though, these fundraisers can have a negative environmental impact. Soaps cause water quality degradation if they enter our creeks or streams, so Plano city ordinance prohibits the use of detergents if the waste water is allowed to flow into storm drains, streets, or waterways.

Despite that, you have a few options if you’d like to hold a car wash fundraiser. You can hold it at a participating commercial car wash facility (preferred—all waste water is routed to the sanitary sewer), hold the event without the use of soap, or you can set up a collection system to capture the waste water (more potential for problems).

Several commercial car wash facilities have agreed to work with non-profit organizations holding car wash fundraisers in Plano. You can find more information and a list of participating facilities at this website: http://plano.gov/Water/carwashfundraisers.

Alternatively, several car wash fundraisers have successfully been held in recent years without the use of soap. This option allows you to perform your fundraiser at a location of your choosing and avoids the potential problems associated with collecting the soapy waste water.

You may also decide to use soap and collect all waste water. If you choose this option, there are some important things to consider. You must set up a boom system, for example a series of sandbags that will form a collection pool for the waste water. To collect the water, you can utilize a wet-dry vacuum (make sure it is intended to be used for collection of large amounts of water) or water pump, and dispose of the collected water down a sanitary sewer drain (any indoor drain). It’s important to keep in mind that soapy water may leak through or build up and overflow the boom system. If this occurs and soapy water flows into a storm drain or waterway, your group would be in violation of city ordinance and would be subject to a municipal court citation. Additionally, care must be taken to ensure that any electrical components do not get wet.

Permits

If your organization is a church or school and you hold a car wash fundraiser on your church or school property, no permit is required. Also, if you hold your fundraiser at a commercial car wash facility, no permit is required.

If your car wash fundraiser is held off your organization’s property and not at a commercial car wash facility, you must obtain a permit in advance. Permits are issued through the Building Inspections Department, and you can contact them at (972) 941-7140.