Pierce County and automotive repair shops are partnering to provide free checks of vehicles for oil leaks as a way to help the environment. Motorists in Pierce County can find affordable repairs and keep pollutants out of public waterways through the "Don't Drip and DriveGÇ¥ program. Participating repair shops in western Washington GÇô including Eurotech Auto Service in Spanaway GÇô will conduct a free visual inspection (a diagnostic service valued at up to $80) from July to September. If a leak is found, the driver will receive a coupon for 10 percent off the cost of repair service (up to $50). The coupon will expire Sept. 30. "This offer puts people in the driver's seat to find out if their car has a leak and gives them a discount on fixing it, as auto leaks can be expensive,GÇ¥ said Harold Smelt, surface-water manager for the county's Public Works and Utilities. Fixing such problems "can help drivers keep their cars on the road, while keeping pollutants such as oil from traveling into our local waterways and the Sound,GÇ¥ Smelt noted. Vehicles drip an estimated 7 million quarts of motor oil into the Puget Sound watershed each year. Oil and other petroleum products can harm wildlife and habitat. When it rains, stormwater runoff carries petroleum products to Puget Sound and other bodies of water, Smelt noted. Eurotech Auto Service is located at 221 170th St. S. More information, including a complete list of participating repair shops, is available at fixcarleaks.org. In 2013, Pierce County was awarded a grant on behalf of the Stormwater Outreach for Regional Municipalities consortium to lead the second phase of "Don't Drip and Drive" this summer. As one of 80 local governments in the consortium, the county participates in regional campaigns.
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