Power Washers Network of the Carolinas

This was sent to Beverly Perdue, Lt. Governor of NC in late February 2008 - No response has been received as of the date of this posting.

I am writing on behalf of the PWNC (Power Washers Network of the Carolinas) to get your position on the water crisis currently affecting our state of North Carolina.

As a part of an industry whose lifeblood runs with the availability of water, we are a not only a group of professionals but also, taxpayers, homeowners and families. We as a group are concerned about conservation of water, particularly where proper management of this precious resource is concerned.

The pressure washing industry was chosen out of many to be one of the first professions to have our livelihood restricted without anyone clearly understanding exactly how much we give to our cities and towns. Pressure washing should not be regarded as a luxury but a necessity to keep our homes and property clean, safe and healthy environments in which to live and work. While car washes are allowed to continue operating and numerous other businesses who utilize hundreds of thousands of gallons of water a day inside, how many of those companies actually provide vital services for the community in which they reside? Does it affect your health to have dirt on your car? Is it a matter of safety to have your hair washed at a salon? I personally, as a concerned citizen have to say NO.

From the side of my profession, does it affect your safety when buildings are tagged and unable to be cleaned? If graffiti is not removed immediately, the potential threat of gang activity increases with each day it is left unattended. Would you take your child to an outdoor café for ice cream if the sidewalks surrounding the tables had spilled food or drinks on the ground? Are you going to enter a store if the concrete at the entrance is littered with chewing gum and stepped on cigarette butts? The pressure washing industry provides our cities, towns and neighborhoods with services that are needed as much as they are desired. If people want to have a clean car, doesn’t it stand to reason that they want the rest of their world clean as well?

One last benefit to pressure washing, and possibly the most important…… Pressure washers alleviate many of the problems associated with contaminated run-off. If impervious surfaces are not cleaned regularly, atmospheric pollutants, heavy metals and a host of other environmentally unfriendly particulates are left to accumulate. When it rains, these contaminates are carried by the run-off to various places including storm drains or other water places. Two things occur afterward – US waters are more polluted than necessary or water has to be treated more aggressively in order to bring it back to an acceptable level. The industry that cleans these surfaces and prevents this “downstream contamination” should be considered one of the most important conservation efforts available……yet, we are the first disposable industry when water becomes in short supply.

I cannot begin to, nor will I even attempt to voice the arguments that other industries have. I do, however, speak for the industry known as Pressure Washing and the contractors who live in and work in the Carolinas. We are doing our part to conserve water, to protect the beauty of North Carolina and also to continue to run our businesses in this State. We are not a huge number in the grand population as an industry, but we are a part of small business in the Carolinas and we are not disposable.

Thank you for your attention,

Celeste Gothorp

PWNC

www.pwnc.org

Graham, NC

Statement from the PWNC (Power Washers Network of the Carolinas))

One of the missions of the PWNC is public education. For many years, the pressure washing industry has been misunderstood. It is important to note that there is a distinct difference in both quality and performance between professional power washing companies and their part time counterparts who often enter the industry for a temporary period of time out of economic need.

As water is one of our primary tools, our industry has become an environmentally conscious profession as a natural business progression. Environmental studies show that continued national growth, increased industrial pollutants, and a growing population continue to contribute to our contaminated waters.

As towns and cities grow, the need for impervious surfaces such as roads, sidewalks, parking lots, and buildings increase as well. Increases in personal automobiles, trucks, RV's and other recreational vehicles occupy our roadways. Industrial growth and consumer product usage and spills create more pollution. As these contaminants fall to rest on the roadways, sidewalks, parking lots and building tops, the potential for being carried by natural run-off process is inevitable.

The PWNC recognizes that in order to preserve our ecosystem and waters, it is our responsibility to properly maintain these surfaces to decrease the amount of contaminants carried off during rains. Through years of industry study and testing, detergents and equipment have been developed for professional companies to use as part of their daily routine in order to keep our environment safe.

PWNC contractors are working with law enforcement agencies when called for graffiti abatement. Training is being provided to help these companies identify potential gang activity so that more eyes are available to alert the proper authorities. It is one more small contribution that we feel is our obligation to our fellow Carolinians.

Responsible companies have voluntarily decreased washing that is for purely aesthetic reasons. However, more often than not, when a pressure washing company is called to wash a home or roof there is a health related issue that is also present. A large percentage of the population has developed allergies to nearly invisible airborne irritants such as pollen, mold and mildew. If left unchecked, one’s home can become a prime source of health issues.

Water is a recyclable resource. Today's technology allows professionals to reclaim and clean water from impervious surfaces. Even when cleaning homes or buildings that are surrounded by ground, rather than concrete, the water we use returns to the water tables for everyone’s use. As for the detergents that also enter, earth itself is the most effective filtering system. Through natural bioremediation, the water that enters the water tables is clean.

Current water restrictions set out by certain towns and cities are creating some issues where cleaning is concerned, however, the larger percentage of professional companies have the ability to obtain water from alternative sources in order to continue to work. The general misperception of our industry is actually causing more harm for these professional companies than the restrictions themselves, and the above mentioned companies are your most effective source for ongoing, environmentally conscious cleaning.

PWNC

www.pwnc.org

336-516-2242