City officials discuss how street sweepers, vacuum trucks, and related equipment fit into their “good housekeeping” programs
Construction, traffic, and tourists have one thing in common: they leave a trail, whether of dust or debris. In a battle that may seem neverending, municipalities must keep their streets clean, not only in an effort to keep up appearances, but to protect surrounding surface waters from pollution.One of the six minimum control measures outlined in the EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II regulation is pollution prevention/good housekeeping. This is necessary to reduce pollution that collects on “streets, parking lots, open spaces, and storage for vehicle maintenance areas and is discharged into local waterways,” according to the EPA, which also stresses that practicing pollution prevention and good housekeeping can protect land from becoming environmentally damaged by poor development and land management practices or from poor storm system maintenance.
A stormwater program’s “good housekeeping” can have many interpretations, but components can include maintenance of best management practices (BMPs), street sweeping, and measures that will reduce water pollution, such as the use of a filtration device.
The means to achieve the goals of the stormwater program often overlap with neighborhood concerns—even when citizens aren’t necessarily aware of the water-quality aspect of the program. “‘Good housekeeping’ tends to be a feel-good activity dealing with aesthetic appearance of the neighborhoods,” says Mark Kinter, technical consultant to Elgin Sweeper, which is based in Elgin, IL, and is a subsidiary of Federal Signal Corporation’s Environmental Solutions Group. “It tends to be driven by citizen demands for appearance. Stormwater programs tend to be more goal-driven and less appearance-dependent. The contaminants that are a concern to stormwater pollution don’t have much aesthetic concern.”
When shopping for a street sweeper, don’t just consider power; consider all your area’s needs. “Lower-income neighborhoods tend to have larger dirt and trash accumulations. More affluent neighborhoods have less trash and more vegetation, such as leaves and grass clippings,” says Kinter. “Broom sweepers work best with bulky trash, while air sweepers work better on contaminants that would be of greater concern to stormwater programs.”
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Photo: City of Lincoln |
The frequency with which sweepers clean a city’s streets varies. High-traffic areas, for example, demand more care, while in many areas, budget can be the primary determining factor.
“In the northern rust belt, it tends to be twice a year,” says Kinter. “This frequency does nothing for stormwater. In many areas, particularly the beach areas of Los Angeles, they sweep weekly, and sometimes even twice a week.”
In this article, city workers from a variety of municipalities discuss ways they protect their streets from dirt and debris and reduce water pollution in their respective storm drain systems.
Tackling Construction Runoff in Indiana
The city of Noblesville, IN, is a growing community just north of Indianapolis. With expanding residential areas and highway improvements come debris and more roads that need to be swept clean.
“Street sweeping is a major component and probably the most active of the day-to-day programs,” says Tim Stottlemyer, chief operator of the stormwater program for the city. “We have a lot of different things that we do in that area.”
The city’s good housekeeping practices include the manner “we handle our facilities, practices at the facilities, where the outside drains go—managing the risk,” he says. The city uses Tymco regenerative air sweepers as part of its street cleaning program.
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Photo: City of Lincoln |
Stottlemyer says the sweepers are effective at cleaning up larger trash items as well as fine particles. The city owns the Tymco four-wheel trucks it uses.
“We’ve used these sweepers for 30 years,” says Len Finchum, street commissioner of Noblesville. “We used to have the three-wheel type, but their speeds didn’t allow a timely schedule to get things done.
“The way the city is set up, we’re stretched from north to south. We have sweepers out almost every day,” Finchum explains. “We have five highways that intersect. Hamilton County is the fastest growing county in the state. We were, at one time, 13th [fastest growing county]in the nation. We have a tremendous amount of construction. We have a lot of road debris.”
Because the city administrators like the ability to multitask whenever possible, the Tymco sweepers held an additional appeal for them.
“We utilize them for the leaf program as well,” says Finchum, commenting on their ability to remove the dead leaves that can wash into the city streets.
Although the street sweeping program was introduced earlier, it’s now incorporated into the city’s Phase II stormwater program.
“It’s a joint venture of the city itself,” says Finchum. “We work together. I get them reports of quantities and schedules for stormwater reports.”
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Photo: @ iStockphoto.com/David H. Lewis |
Stottlemyer explains how the program fits into place. “Our program is set up as part of our overall utilities, including wastewater utilities, GIS, and stormwater. We’ve got a rotation schedule, weather dependent, sharing one truck on two systems in summertime—cleaning either sanitary or storm sewers,” he says. “It’s more coordinated with the overall plan on cleaning the storm sewers so the lines of the basins are cleaned together.”
When heavy rains pummel the region, street sweeping is completed in conjunction with the wastewater facility.
“They have the vacuum machines for when water goes underground,” says Finchum. “We clean the surface area—the grates and things like that. We notify them when one’s plugged. They have their own schedule, and it’s a separate operation until we find a plugged line.”
In an area where the average home costs about $300,000, residents want the streets kept clean.
“In Hamilton County, there’s quite a bit of money. It’s never a complaint,” he says, referring to days when residents must remove vehicles from the streets for sweeping. “If anything, we don’t get around quickly enough.”
Building Cleaner Beach Communities in the South
Water protection is a concern for residents and workers on Tybee Island, GA, located about 12 miles east of Savannah.
“On a barrier island,” says Joe Wilson, public works director for Tybee Island, “everything has to go back to the marsh.”
Picking up fine particles is important, he explains, because heavy metals can potentially adsorb to these particles.
Taking an inventory of what the city has available, controlling the point-source pollution, and maintaining the area are the most important good housekeeping components of Wilson’s stormwater program. A Schwarze street sweeper is used as part of the program because it can pick up the fine particles using vacuum and brushing actions at the same time, says Wilson. Schwarze Industries is based in Huntsville, AL.
“It will suck the particles up and also have a catch basin cleaner on the back of the truck for sewer lines. It kind of makes it multipurpose,” he says. “It will clean out more of your catch basins. I like to clean them a minimum of three times a year.”
The Schwarze machine suppresses dust with water, explained Wilson.“That will keep the dust from flying up in the air. It washes the roads as it sweeps.”
Parking is not allowed on the city streets. The streets are swept three times each week, on a rotating schedule, in the early morning. The machines are quiet, explains Wilson, and clean streets are important to the tourists.
“We maintain our main thoroughfares,” says Wilson. “The sweeper is your first line of defense. We do residential roads twice a year.”
Street sweeping accounts for about 15% to 20% of the city’s stormwater budget.
“Our stormwater is funded through a local tax called SPLOSH,” explains Wilson. Those funds pay for drainage systems and maintenance. The Army Corps of Engineers is also providing funding to help the city map its stormwater system.
“We are retrofitting our catch basins. One way we’re doing that is putting in a paved invert, so they are self-cleaning,” says Wilson, explaining that this is similar to placing a trough in the bottom of the basin. “It makes the water flow smoother. It doesn’t hold any water in the catch basin.”
In addition, catch basin filtration is being added to parking lot areas on the city’s beach.
“It’s like a geotextile trap that will catch a lot of the fine pollutants from going through our catch basins,” says Wilson, explaining that at press time he is trying different products to see which will work the best in the city’s environment. “I think if you’re using a regenerative air sweeper, there is less chance of [pollutants] going into the catch basin. The technology of the sweepers coming out now addresses the gutter line. That’s your lowest point.
“That’s part of the good housekeeping,” he continues. “Your catch basins are where there is an intersection of pipes—someplace where the water will slow down. Catch basins will catch bigger trash with the fines.”
“Rocks are going to settle out in the catch basin. You want to remove that obstruction,” says Wilson, adding that catch basins are cleaned in his city at least three times annually. “If it needs cleaning more often than that, there is probably a problem upstream that you need to address.”
Adding more BMPs upstream, he stresses, is a proactive step cities can take. The state continuously monitors the marsh at Tybee Island, and Wilson says he has ongoing water-quality studies taking place as well.
As on Tybee Island, aesthetics are important to a tourism-driven city like Fort Lauderdale, FL.
“In the residential area, I think the most important thing is education. We don’t treat any of the stormwater,” says Richard Reily, environmental program coordinator for the city of Fort Lauderdale. “On the beach, probably the most important thing is to keep it visually nice-looking. If you have any trash buildup, it’s a turnoff for the tourists.”
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Photo: Hydrophix |
| A city’s sanitation department is usually in charge of cleaning catch basins. |
The department uses Johnston Street Sweepers for city maintenance.
“We’ve had them for many, many years,” says Greg Slagle, supervisor of the Sanitation Division for Fort Lauderdale. “They are easy to operate, easy to maintain. Mechanics are used to them. Operators are used to them, too.”
Street sweeping in the city, which Reily believes is most effective at clearing the large debris, is a seven-day-a-week operation. Catch basin inserts have been added, but only in some areas.
“We’ve had some problem areas around automobile maintenance shops,” explains Reily, adding that cleaning the catch basin inserts and street sweeping run on completely different schedules.
Controlling Sediment in the Western Streets
The amount of time spent cleaning catch basins varies per city.
“Most cities have no planned program to clean the catch basins and the two departments—streets and sanitation—are separate,” says Kinter. “While the catch basins are in the streets, the equipment to clean them is under the control of the sanitation department.”
Construction inspection, followed by litter control, are the two most important good housekeeping components of Fontana, CA’s stormwater program, says Richard Brooks, the environmental control specialist for the city stormwater program. The city’s slogan is “City of Action,” and the phrase also applies to its street sweeping program.
Using Tymco sweepers, which Brooks says are the most effective at picking up fine particles such as silt, commercialand residential street sweeping takes place in the city every other week.
Street sweeping in Fontana costs a half a million dollars, and the city contracts the work. Brooks says he’s experienced very few complaints about moving cars because of street sweeping.
“They want [the streets] clean,” says Brooks. “If you don’t sweep, the sediment is going to wind up in your inlets.”
The city’s catch basins are cleaned out twice annually. Street sweeping and catch basin cleaning are two separate programs with different schedules, Brooks explains.
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Photo: @ iStockphoto.com |
At several locations, the catch basins have inserts from Riverside, CA–based Hydrophix. “There’s a curb opening, and [the inserts] are installed through a bracketing system. They’re hung,” says Brian Martello, a product representative at Hydrophix, formerly known as AbTech Pacific. “With an area drain, those inserts hang after a collar that we make. The collar sits on the same ledge that the grate does.” The Hydrophix catch basin inserts can be custom designed to meet any size requirements, explains Martello. They are made from a proprietary polymer blend. “Thepolymers are encased in a corregated plastic box made out of 10% recycled plastic,” describes Martello. “We can treat for bacteria at the catch basin level, and 100% of the water that enters the inserts is then considered treated.”
Cleaning the Dust Bowl
Dust control is a huge concern on the streets of Oklahoma City, OK. The construction inspection program, industrial program, and public outreach programs are the most important elements of good housekeeping the city employs, according to Raymond Melton, environmental protection manager for the city.
The city has a Stormceptor treatment device at its maintenance facility that is cleaned several times annually. While the city’s street sweeping—a program that is ongoing each night of the week—is contracted out, the city has its own environmental crew that performs water sampling.
Catch basins with inserts are cleaned monthly, and nets are set out to catch floating debris, explains Melton.
“We have certain areas of town that we target,” he says. “A river that flows through here, the Oklahoma River, is a tourist draw. We specifically target that area to keep the debris out of the river.”
The spring and fall months are the primary times for rain events in the area. But it is often the wind that causes greater concern.
“We have a lot of wind,” says Melton. “The construction guys have to have water trucks constantly during the summer months” to control airborne dust, he says.
Coping With the Rain in Maine
In Portland, ME, the street sweepers run daily from the beginning of April through the end of October. The street sweeping program, combined with the inspection of the city’s 5,000-plus storm drain basins, are the most important good housekeeping elements of its stormwater protection program, according to John Emerson, wastewater facilities coordinator for Portland.
The city has three Johnstonstreet sweepers, explains Emerson, which are run by a night crew. “It’s a significant expense—street sweeping,” he notes. “It doesn’t have it’s own budget.”
The sweepers, which the city has purchased at a cost of about $150,000, also have approximately $10,000 to $15,000 in maintenance costs, says Emerson. The debris that they remove is properly disposed of in a landfill.
Another important part of the city’s stormwater protection program is a series of hoods placed on the city’s basins.
“We currently have Hydro Brakes located in the catch basins themselves; probably 25% of catch basins have them,” says Emerson, noting these flow-control devices from Hydro International slow the water’s flow.
The area’s catch basin cleaning schedules run separately and independently of the city’s street sweeping program. While all of these basins are cleaned annually, 5% to 10% are cleaned based upon need.
Inlet Challenges In the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
Keeping pollutants out of the city waterways and following the BMPs the city has set in place are the primary good housekeeping components of the city’s stormwater program, according to Andrew Edwards, street and drainage maintenance superintendent for the city of Lincoln, NE.
The city’s central business districts are swept on a four-day rotation schedule, arterials are swept on a 15-day rotating schedule, and residential areas are swept three times annually during the spring, summer, and fall months. A map on the city’s Web site illustrates the residential routes that the sweepers will follow during this season. The city uses Elginsweepers, which Edwards says were selected for their mobility. The machines use a hydraulic life to dump debris into a dump truck. This debris is held in several areas throughout the city before eventually being transported to a landfill.
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Photo: @ iStockphoto.com/David H. Lewis |
The street sweeping program, which costs $1 million annually, is a part of the city’s sanitation budget.
Inlets, too, are an important component in the city’s plan to protect water quality. “We try to clean and inspect all inlets on a 18-month rotation,” says Edwards.
Inlets also pose a challenge for residents and city workers alike in the 80 square miles of Baltimore, MD.
“There are 33,000 inlets in Baltimore City. In addition to responding to complaints, we also work on gateway routes into the city and areas that are prone to flooding in heavy rainfalls,” says Robert Murrow, spokesperson for the Baltimore City Department of Public Works.
Although street sweeping takes place weekly on designated city streets, catch basin cleaning is completed based on need.
“It’s done in response to complaints and proactive when we’re expecting severe thunderstorms in summer. When a complaint is made for a particular storm drain, crews will typically clean storm drains in the nearby intersections proactively,” says Murrow. “We are still involved in a study of the effectiveness of street sweeping in removing contaminants from stormwater. We are experimenting with modified inlet designs as well.”
The city allocates $2,591,605 per fiscal year for street sweeping and uses Elgin sweepers, because, as Murrow explains, they are “easy to maintain and durable.”
Durability is important for the city of Columbus, OH, both because of the distance its sweepers must travel and also because of the frequency of cleanings.
Street sweeping in Columbus takes place from April 1 through Thanksgiving, but if warm weather permits, the city will sweep during some winter months. Workers use a mix of 22 city-owned and -operated Johnston and Elgin sweepers to clean 6,500 lane miles, according to Jerry Buckley, fleet analyst for the city. The street sweeping program is funded through the right-of-way budget within the Transportation Department. The city’s catch basin cleaning schedule is not coordinated with the city’s sweeping schedule. The city’s sewage and drainage division is responsible for cleaning the city’s catch basins.