AH carwash: Plan shifted but not gone The Courier,July 17 Posted:07/17/08
Residents can wash their own cars, but Atlantic Highlands is not giving up on their carwash facility idea.
The borough was under the impression that 2009 storm water management regulations would prohibit residents from washing cars in their driveways. However, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) deemed the law too difficult to enforce, according to borough officials.
Borough Administrator Adam Hubeny said a DEP official told him that residential carwashing would be prohibited as of 2009. He characterized the confusion as miscommunication and wrong information.
The regulations, which were adopted during the Fall of 2007, would require that state, county, municipal and commercial vehicles be washed at a facility that would recover any oils or contaminants that could make its way to open waters, Hubeny said.
Hubeny noted that the municipality already has two facilities that can comply with such regulations: the OEM building and the public works department. However, the borough police vehicles are currently washed at an outside facility.
The municipality is still researching and crunching numbers to see if the carwash facility would produce revenue for the borough. The town has also received calls from companies from around the country about carwashing equipment, he said.
"The town has been very supportive of the idea," Hubeny concluded.
