Faaiuga Fautanu wipes water from the window of a freshly washed car at McKinley Car Wash.
Photo by Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin

But city officials defend the prohibition, claiming car washing at condominiums that results in soapy water flowing into storm drains and out into the ocean is harmful to the environment.

Besides, said Public Works Director Ken Sprague, the city has no choice. It's under a mandate from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to comply with the 1987 Clean Water Act.

"To me, washing your car is no worse than all those big companies washing down their vehicles," said Maniaci, manager of the Parkside condominiums near Punchbowl. "Why should it just target the smaller people who live in condos? Consider how much pollution large companies dump into the ocean. That's a hell of a lot more toxic than just soap."

Although Sprague said he's waiting for clarification from the EPA, the city began notifying condo owners of the law's provisions six months ago. Sprague said the law - which exempts single-family houses - prohibits the discharge of detergents (and oil, grease and similar products) into storm drains, which flow into the ocean.

Discharge into the city's wastewater system that ends up in a treatment plant is acceptable, he said. Condominiums have been singled out because of the potential concentration of use.

When city workers notice a violation or a citizen reports one, the city sends a notice giving the violator 30 days to comply, Sprague said. Fines of up to $25,000 a day per occurrence can be levied under terms of the law.

"We're looking to change behavior, not to raise revenues here," he said. "But the stick is there."

Public Works spokesman Bob Rock quashed the notion that the car-wash police are out to get violators.

"We're not driving around looking for people washing their cars," he said.

Sprague said car wash fund-raisers are permissible as long as the sudsy water flows down a permitted drain that leads into the city wastewater system.

Although those living in single-family homes need not worry about fines, the city wants them to act as "responsibly as possible," said Sprague.

He suggested homeowners wash their vehicles in a grassy area so the water soaks in and doesn't run off, use nonphosphate detergents to discourage algae blooms, and frequent commercial car washes when possible. Most car-wash businesses recycle their water with the excess ending up in the sewer system.

None of that placates condo-dwellers who contend they are being targeted unfairly.

"... I believe that we have a long way to go in finding other solutions to nonpoint source pollution before we start running around telling people to quit washing their cars," wrote Susan Lai Young in a Star-Bulletin "Viewpoint" piece this month.

"I have yet to see reliable studies which prioritize nonpoint source pollution problems. Until I can be shown that all of us washing our cars is a major environmental problem in our state, I don't believe our environmental enforcement officials should be running around telling us to drive dirty cars."

Young accused commercial interests of lobbying to enforce the city's interpretation of the law.

Sprague said the city has tried to come up with the best law to protect the environment and keep decisions on the local level.

"We don't want regulation from Washington," he said. "We want to manage it here."