Bethel officials decided earlier this month to pull a funding request for a Highway Department vehicle wash.  First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker says Bethel, along with 80-percent of municipalities, have been out of compliance with state environmental regulations for decades. 

When salt is washed off of municipal trucks in winter, the water is supposed to be captured for recycling or disposal in a certified waste management facility.  Knickerbocker says there's always been a risk of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection ordering municipalities to comply by a certain deadline, but that hasn't happened yet. 

Selectman Paul Szatkowski suggested they look into the area of Paul Street to see if a large scale truck wash is feasible.  Knickerbocker says the concern is that truck traffic would be routed through a residential area.