Clean cars, clean creeks

Spring has sprung, which means people are outdoors more—hiking, playing baseball, bicycling, gardening and … washing their cars. Nothing wrong with that, but we’ve noticed that most people who live in cities like Chico wash their cars in their driveways. The problem is that the soapy water runs into the gutter and from there goes into a drain. Ever noticed the little, round, blue signs next to the drains? They point out that the drains empty into local creeks, which means that’s where your soap (and that from thousands of other car washes) ends up. Not good. So next time you wash your car, drive it onto the lawn or some other pervious surface first. That way the water will go into the ground, which will filter out the soap.