This project aims to develop a Canadian car wash industry certification standard to establish Best Management Practices and Pollution Prevention as applied to the Operations, Product Procurement, Maintenance and Community Sustainability for independent and corporately owned commercial car, and truck wash businesses.

The RiverSafe Carwash Certification program is an environmental evaluation, rating, and recognition system for the car and truck wash industry as well as its suppliers, regulators, and users.

The RiverSafe Carwash Certification is designed to:

1. integrate adoption of a sewer pollution prevention standard based on sanitary and storm water discharge limits reflected by the City of Toronto Sewer Use Bylaw (Chapter 681),
2. promote water, energy, and waste conservation throughout the industry,
3. achieve virtual elimination of nonylphenol ethoxylates, perchlorethylene, and other designated CEPA toxic substances from carwash products,
4. promote employee occupational health and safety standards in the commercial car wash industry; and
5. support community level and municipal implementation of non-point source discharge elimination through integrated marketing and public education of the RiverSafe Carwash Campaign.

The RiverSafe Certification Program is an integral component of the three-tiered RiverSafe Carwash Campaign. Individual tiers address municipal, industry, or community issues associated with the delivering of key components supporting non-point source pollution prevention education, implementation and advancement concerning discharges to surface waters of untreated discharge from vehicle washing in parking lots and driveways.

RiverSafe Certification Program Objectives

The primary goal of this project is to support the sustainability and overall delivery of the RiverSafe Carwash Campaign through the development and implementation of an environmental evaluation, recognition and rating system for the commercial car and truck wash industry, its suppliers, and customers.

Specific objectives include:

1. Establish and maintain car wash industry support for the principles and practices espoused by the overall RiverSafe Carwash Campaign.
2. Enhance public and industry perception of the car wash industry's role in pollution prevention and the value of professional memberships, organizations or groups that espouse these values.
3. Balance public policy approaches to sewer bylaws, water conservation, pollution prevention, public acceptance and community integration of these principles for commercial car wash operators and suppliers.
4. Identify and promote through the RiverSafe Certified Carwash marketing brand, car washes across Canada exhibiting and maintaining strong environmental performance compliance and promotion of the RiverSafe Carwash Campaign. Recognition and promotion of facilities that have implemented beyond compliance initiatives and their accomplishments is the responsibility of the RiverSafe Carwash Campaign for clean water protection.

Parters in this process include:

Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention (C2P2)
Environment Canada-Ontario Region
Shell Canada
Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc.(OHCOW)
City of Calgary
Imperial Oil
Petro Canada
City of Toronto
Emery Creek Environmental Association
Canadian Vehicle Manuafacturers Association
Suncor Energy Products Inc.
Autoshare

Draft RiverSafe Certification Criteria & Best Management Practices were completed in May 2003.