Prime Shine Car Wash was built around the principle of saving — money, time and water.

Since opening its first facility in 1991 in Modesto, Calif., father and son owners Norm and Evan Porges often have focused marketing efforts on the monetary value and time savings offered by Prime Shine to its customers. The convenience and affordability of a high-quality wash in about three minutes has helped the company grow to 14 locations (with two more currently under construction), making it California’s largest independently owned operator.

Always present — but less often noted — has been the company’s constant commitment to water savings. The three-year drought that has gripped the state has given Prime Shine a compelling reason to call attention to its responsible water use.

“We’re all in this together,” Evan Porges said. “Saving water is a team sport.”

That message was evident in mid-April when Porges and his staff participated at an Earth Day event attended by thousands at a tree-shaded Modesto park. Given the widespread concern about the drought, there was a heavier-than-normal emphasis on water and conservation by many vendors. Prime Shine fit right in with that group.

The signage at the company’s booth emphasized water savings. The many giveaways included a bookmark explaining water savings and a package of wildflower seeds to be nurtured with water “saved” thanks to a Prime Shine wash. Brochures offered more information about water recycling and reuse.

“People have taken water for granted for so long in this state and country. Conservation is a big deal,” said Modesto resident Laura Anhalt, a regular Prime Shine customer who attended the Earth Day celebration. Like many Central Valley residents, she was unaware of the company’s ongoing water-saving efforts.

Prime Shine is one of nearly 400 car wash companies across the United States — and the only one in Central California — that participate in the International Carwash Association’s WaterSavers program. WaterSavers members are required to use less than 40 gallons of fresh water per wash and filter all runoff before discharge into the sewer system. Prime Shine, like many WaterSavers washes, voluntarily holds itself to even tougher standards.

After California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought in mid-January, Porges and his staff brainstormed ways to reduce the amount of fresh water applied to each vehicle. Their changes reduced the fresh water per wash to about 30 gallons. Almost all of the fresh water used on each vehicle is recycled and potentially reused.

“Saving water is part of our DNA,” Porges said. “We continue to research processes, invest in the technology, and then design and build our facilities to use the least amount of water possible — in dry years or wet ones.”

That conservation commitment resonated with customers who patiently waited in line at Prime Shine’s booth on Earth Day for a chance to spin a wheel for a free car wash, among other prizes.

“We like Prime Shine because it’s right in and right out,” said Lisette Haro, who attended with her husband Steve and sons Damien, 6, and Gabriel, 2. “I didn’t know they were recycling so much of the water. That’s cool. A great idea.”

In fact, professional car washes like Prime Shine, add up to use less than .1 percent of a municipality’s total water usage.

“People often see a car wash and think it must use a ton of water,” said ICA Director of Marketing Matt DeWolf. “In reality, there’s a lot of thought and a lot of effort that goes in to finding ways to use as little water as possible and being responsible stewards of wastewater. Especially in a WaterSavers wash.”

Porges said Prime Shine is committed to being a leader in water conservation and savings within the car wash industry as well as in the cities in which it does business. For him, being a responsible corporate citizen is every bit as important as providing a high-quality service at a fair price.

Already, Porges has written an essay on water savings and industry best practices that was published in regional newspapers. He intends to respectfully challenge other business owners to find ways to conserve water during the drought. He pledges to support water-saving efforts by other organizations in the community.

He has updated Prime Shine’s website to emphasize water savings and will use the company’s social media presence to help spread the message.

Porges also plans to continue to take advantage of the WaterSavers marketing materials developed by the ICA. It’s one of the many benefits of belonging to the international organization.

“Our members are seeing the real value of having a partner to help promote responsible car washing,” DeWolf said.

In 2013, WaterSavers’ national public relations outreach resulted in more than 165 million impressions and appeared in more than 1,400 websites. News outlets running the stories have included large-market names like the Los
Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, ABC4 in Salt Lake City and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The WaterSavers campaign also has reached 29 different bloggers with 1.8 million impressions and included more than 24,000 giveaway entries. “There’s nothing more effective at driving traffic to your business than positive referrals, and that starts by getting your message out to the influential folks in those spaces,” DeWolf said.

Efforts by the International Carwash Association and its WaterSavers program are geared to drive awareness of the need to wash your car at a professional car wash rather than at home. Since the program’s inception in 2009, WaterSavers has become the professional car wash industry’s largest and most successful consumer and water regulator outreach program.

Prime Shine team members share the news about the wash’s water saving efforts.

Attendees of an Earth Day event in Modesto, Calif., eagerly await the chance to win prizes at Prime Shine’s booth.