Purchase biodegradable vehicle soap

How does this action
help our Lagoon?

When washing your car at home, make sure to never wash your car over a paved parking lot or driveway; instead wash your vehicle over grass where it will filter through the ground before reaching a water body. Your yard acts like a filter to keep harmful suds and dirt off the street and out of the lagoon.

The detergents in car wash cleaners affect fish in several ways. All detergents contain a surfactant so that the cleaner rinses off easily with water. Surfactants destroy the external mucus layers that protect fish from bacteria and parasites, causing severe damage to their gills. Even in low concentrations, surfactants will kill fish eggs. Detergents can lower the surface tension of water, allowing organic chemicals—such as pesticides and phenols—to be more easily absorbed by fish. Soaps that contain phosphates promote plant growth and can cause excess algae growth in waterways. As these plants decay, large amounts of oxygen are consumed, leaving very little oxygen available for fish.

If you wash with more than water, choose soaps, cleaners or detergents labeled phosphate-free and biodegradable. Vegetable or citrus-based soaps are the safest products.

Better yet? Use a commercial car wash to minimize the amount of dirty, soapy water flowing into the storm drain. Commercial car washes drain used water into the sanitary system instead of storm drains. This water is treated to remove pollution. Earn Lagoon Loyal points for using a commercial car wash!