3. Check Your Car for Leaking Fluids and Recycle Your Motor Oil
Improper Disposal of Used Oil and Fluids Leaked from Cars can Pollute Waters
Improper disposal of used oil, including leaks from cars, is a significant contributor to stormwater pollution. If you have a fluid leak, it's essential to have it repaired promptly.
In 2016, there were 547,029 registered cars in Benton and Washington counties. If only a small portion of these had leaks, that is still a significant amount of oil entering our creeks.
FREE Car Care Clinic Events in Fayetteville! Thank You for Joining Us!
Our 2024 Car Care Clinics in Fayetteville were a huge success!
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Topics Covered in Small Group Demos:
- Common Maintenance Tasks & Schedule
- Common Auto Failures & Costs
- What's Under Your Hood? (Fluids, Filters, Belts)
- Auto Safety Essentials
- Simple Do-It-Yourself Car Care (Checking fluids, tire pressure, changing a tire)
- How Car Care Impacts Urban Waterways
If you are interested in participating in a clinic, join our car care email list!
What else can you do to protect waterways?
Recycle Your Used Motor Oil
If you change your own automotive fluids, recycle your used motor oil. Many places that sell motor oil also collect it for free.
Clean Up Accidental Spills Responsibly
An easy way to clean up an accidental spill is to pour sand or kitty litter over the spill, wait a few minutes, and then sweep up the solid materials to dispose of in your regular trash.
Check Your Tires
What happens to tire tread? We know it wears away and so we have to replace our tires. But where is "away"? Tire tread wears down on our streets, and you guessed it, washes into creeks and streams when it rains. Recent studies have shown that certain rubber preservatives have negative impacts on fish populations. (EPA source).
While wear and tear on your tires cannot be avoided, there are some things you can do to prolong the life of your tires. This includes checking you tire pressure monthly and making sure it is at the recommended pressure. Less wear on your tires keeps less tire dust entering our streams and saves you money.
Use Car Washing Best Practices
When washing your car, it's best to use a car wash facility instead of washing it in your driveway. This helps prevent soapy water, dirt, and contaminants from entering storm drains and eventually flowing into our waterways. Car washes in urban areas are piped to waste water treatment plants where the water is treated. If you wash your car at home, do it on the lawn or area that can soak up the water and does not flow to a storm drain.
Get our tips on car washing here.