SAN FRANCISCO — After Gov. Jerry Brown issued statewide mandatory water restrictions with a goal to cut water use by 25 percent, the San Jose City Council recently passed drought rules banning home carwashing with potable water, according to KQED Science.
“I’m sure in summer we’ll see an influx in business, which is great,” said Jeff Wheeler of AJ Auto Detailing in the release.
If residents have a shutoff nozzle on their hose, washing cars at home is allowed by most other water agencies, stated the release, however with or without a shutoff nozzle, San Jose has banned it.
“A customer came in the other day and he brought his truck,” said Jordan Wheeler, Jeff’s brother, in the release. “He has a big yard and he has tractors and stuff, and he said he was washing off a couple of his tractors and a neighbor complained and called the police on him.”
The water at AJ Auto Detailing is recaptured, filtered and put into large tanks, reported the release, and each gallon of water is reused four or five times.
Wheeler’s is part of the WaterSavers program, continued the release, “which accredits carwashes that recycle higher levels of water and filter what they discharge.”
“We’re actually only using about two to 2.5 gallons per car, and that’s less than a dishwasher uses,” noted Wheeler in the release.
You can find the release here.