From Diamonds to Dusty Cars: A new trend started by electric car owners?

haven't washed my cars in ten years. had no idea i was a trendsetter.

 

In my climate, those who choose to not wash un-garaged cars must be prepared to occasionally scrape the moss and lichens off the glass.

 

Looks like those cars might benefit from an air hose, assuming no shortage of air.
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^^ Air? No.

Clean & healthy air, there? Yes.

 

Is this yours then? Fuzzy by name?

 

No, no, no. The car is too old, from the 1940s or 50s. That pic must have been taken on the other side of the state.

Here, the car would be from the 1980s or early 90s. My spouse's daily driver is a 1989. I had to scrape some off the '97 Suby to pretty it up for sale last year, but the stuff wasn't yet hampering visibility much.

 

that is a piece of art.

 

Then there are those of us who like driving a clean car but are also water conscious.

 

What water saving procedures are in place? In Australia and the UK we try and conserve water use, despite water being abundant here in the UK. I'm sure I've read that people still insist on green lawns in CA despite being in a drought. Do you have dual flush toilets and ultra low use washing machines? I know this comes across as ignorant but one just gets the impression that the US can be wasteful, though often this assumption is false.

 

Your assumption is generally a correct one. The U.S. as a whole is rather wasteful. Some areas are much better about conservation than others.

Status of Response to 2014 Drought | Association of California Water Agencies

Depending on the water district different conservation measures and regulations are in place. Measures can include restrictions on lawn watering, car washing, residential use limits Agricultural reductions etc. The map link above shows what areas of California are subject to measures and what those measures are. California is and has always been ruled by water and those who hold water rights. There's a great book on the subject called Water Wars. It's serious business out west.

 

I know this is from the Daily Mail, but is this story a true reflection?

Couple who's lawn died in California drought face criminal action | Daily Mail Online

A Southern California couple who scaled back watering due to drought received a letter from the city of Glendora warning that they could face fines if they don't get their brown lawn green again.

 

It can be. There are often home owners association rules that people must follow or risk fines. Some of these rules include keeping your grass green and it cannot be more than 4" tall. These may conflict with other regional regulations regarding water use.

I was recently discussing the wasted water flowing into the street from landscaping in a roadway center divide. I was informed that some of these associations are not subject to city water regulations or something to that effect and that the City could not enforce the water restriction regulations. It's complicated but I'm sure some agency could hold the association liable. I'll have to read the article to try and figure out what happened in this case since it was the City who issued the warning.

 

Some stories of this sort pop up during every California water crisis. And such events have been happening for as long as I can remember.

Such stories also help galvanize opposition to some of the wilder proposals to supply more water to SoCal, such as the idea floated several times to divertXXXXXsteal some water from the Columbia River, on the border between Oregon and Washington State. That just isn't going to happen, especially when some lawn watering ordinances remain.

 

I wash our cars on our lawn with a bio-safe soap so no run off and less watering.

 

we have 1.5 g single flush reg in ma, no washer regs but bosch is available. we don't have a water problem, but we do have a distribution problem in some municipalities.

 

Our motto here: "Clean mind...Clean car... take your pick!"

I am bit surprised at your choice, but OK.

 

I recall reading that during some parts of the drought in California, people were encouraged to call the city if they noticed their neighbors were wasting water, mostly in the form of runoff from watering their lawns. In one town it got so bad that they had to hand out bottled water to people because they couldn't even get tap water due to the water source drying up.

Considering that lakes and rivers were drying up, I'd say that watering your lawn should probably not be a high priority during a drought. And washing your car can probably wait too, other than cleaning your windows off so you can see while you're driving.

 

Why surprised? I found a way to clean my car with less than 8oz of water and not scratch the paint. I'd call it a win.

 

Good option...just kidding