Save your gas, your money, & your waters!
I woke up this morning and saw the headline covering the front page of the Jacksonville Daily News in big bold letters: "Going up" I knew exactly what the headline was referring to: gas prices. I am very aware of the gas prices, as I drive often back and forth from Wilmington to Jacksonville. As we enter a record seasonal high in gas prices this year, it is most likely in everyone's best interest (or at least everyone's pocket) for their cars to be as efficient as possible. I remember about 6 months ago I was very late in an oil change. I knew that I needed one, but I put it on the backburner; that is until I started to notice that my car was devouring my gas. A trip to downtown and back that would barely put a dent in my fuel gauge was now flying through to the left side reaching closer and closer to the big "E". It didn't take long after that for me to drive to the nearest auto shop to get my oil changed.
Not only does keeping up with your car maintenance insure you are getting all of the bang out of your buck, but you will be keeping up with the health of our basin's waters. Routine tune-ups will prevent the leaking wastes of solvents (paints and paint thinners), antifreeze, brake fluid and brake lining, batteries, motor oils, fuels (gasoline, kerosene, diesel), and lubricating grease.
What does this have to do with our basin's waters? When these automotive chemicals hit the road pavement, they stay there until a rain event. Rainwater flows over these impervious surface areas (like the roads and parking lots) and are carried to the nearest storm drain where it then enters our waterways without any filtration system at all. The used oil from one oil change can contaminate 1 million gallons of freshwater, and an estimated 180 million gallons of used oil is improperly disposed of each year.
With that said, it may not be as important to you to keep up with your car for environmental reasons; rising gas prices may trump all. Whatever the reason, it is a win-win for us all to keep the check engine light from coming on.
If you are interested in some more tips to save gas, check out some driving tips by greenercars.org
