New Hope, Minn., Car Wash Implements Rainwater Harvesting

Jan. 14, 2019

Slated to open in May, the car wash will be the first in Minnesota to combine rainwater harvesting and water reuse

A new car wash under construction in New Hope, Minn., revealed plans to combine rainwater harvesting with water reuse, making it the first car wash in the state to do so. The car wash, scheduled to open in May, is expected to save millions of gallons of water annually from the combined rainwater and water reuse system.

While a typical busy car wash can use more than 4 million gal of water a year, the New Hope car wash will cut water use by 50 to 90%, according to The Minneapolis Star Tribune. Rainwater across the property, which will include a gas station and convenience store, will be captured, filtered and diverted to a system of underground cisterns with a capacity for 100,000 gal of water. Separate tanks will store water recycled from the war wash tunnel that can then be reused.

“We feel it’s a lot more eco-friendly way to go about running a car wash business,” said Owner Chris Robbins. “It’s something I felt was the right thing to do. Why not push things forward for the car wash industry?”

Robbins hopes to encourage other car wash business owners to adopt rainwater harvesting and water reclamation systems, reported local news source The Sun Post. While the initial installation cost is approximately $50,000, the systems will provide long-term savings for water and sewer fees, as Robbins hopes to only tap into city water during dry months.

“It’s kind of a win-win situation,” Robbins told The Star Tribune of the long-term economic savings and environmental benefits.

The storm water friendly car wash capitalizes on a rising trend of water reuse across the state, as the Minnesota Twins major league baseball team recently announced they will build a living wall on their home field, which will be irrigated by the field’s rainwater harvesting system.