8-12-05 ken kopka lbwid staff manager street sweeping as a bmp the lake barcroft watershed...

8-12-05Ken Kopka

LBWID Staff Manager

STREET SWEEPINGAS A BMPTHE LAKE BARCROFT

WATERSHED EXPERIENCE

WHY STREETS ARE SWEPT • Primarily for aesthetic improvement of the roadways

• Because it is required

• Maintain roadside safety

• Remove roadside debris before it clogs storm sewers or ends up degrading area streams

Remove roadside debris before it clogs storm sewers and ends up degrading area

streams and the Potomac River.

Clogged storm drains cost Fairfax County a lot of time and money to clear

Unclear storm sewers can flood and damage

roads as well as cause a driving hazard

Road sand and debris that reaches the storm sewer system is eventually flushed…

…into our area streams and severely degrades water quality.

The LBWID Performed sweeping studies over the span of 6 years

(1996 – 2001)

• We compared various sweeper equipment and techniques to design a practical suburban / urban sweeping program.

SWEEPER TYPESCOMPARED

Regenerative air -- brush and vacuum

Fine particulate dustless -- brush and vacuum

A dustless sweeper demonstration for the LBWID, Arlington & Fairfax County

Mechanical broom

Unique high dump capability

LBWID sweeps with its own mechanical broom…

… and dumps into its dump truck.

The most significant change in the sweeper

industry is that all leading manufacturers

of sweepers offer every style of sweeper.

WHAT’S NEW! since 2001

5 PERAMETERS TRACKED

• Distance

• Load Count

• Weight of each load

• Time

• Cost

SWEEPING METHODS COMPARED

Dry sweeping vs. wet sweeping

Single sweep vs. tandem sweep

Contract sweeping vs. In-house sweeping

Every load was weighed on a truck scale

Averages from 6 years of data collection

• $80 Per Hour

• 1700 Pounds per Hour

• 2.12 Miles per Hour

• 800 Pounds per Mile

• $0.05 Per Pound

• $38 Per Mile

What LBWID Learned page 1

• Most sweeping debris consists of sand

• Early spring sweeps yield the most material (VDOT sand)

• Chemical & biological lab analysis revealed low levels of organics (P & N) as well as heavy metals in street debris

• Sweeper operator mentality (Do not depend on the contractor to manage your program)

• The newer the sweeper the better!

What LBWID Learned page 1

• Most sweeping debris consists of sand

• Early spring sweeps yield the most material (VDOT sand)

• Chemical & biological lab analysis revealed low levels of organics (P & N) as well as heavy metals in street debris

• Sweeper operator mentality (Do not depend on the contractor to manage your program)

• The newer the sweeper the better!

What LBWID Learned page 1

• Most sweeping debris consists of sand

• Early spring sweeps yield the most material (VDOT sand)

• Chemical & biological lab analysis revealed low levels of organics (P & N) as well as heavy metals in street debris

• Sweeper operator mentality (Do not depend on the contractor to manage your program)

• The newer the sweeper the better!

What LBWID Learned page 2

• Regenerative air brush & vacuum sweepers best overall

• Mechanical broom sweepers work best for rough material like asphalt chips

• Fine particulate dustless sweepers were more practical for small areas with little travel as well as environmentally sensitive zones

• Tandem sweeps are good but costly, 1 regenerative air sweeper does an adequate job

What LBWID Learned page 3

• Keep your dump site local if possible – transfer later to larger disposal site

• Not just a curb-and-gutter program

• Weather may affect your sweeping program

• In most cases contractor sweeping is more cost effective

• Many private shopping (strip) malls have effective sweeping programs

• Public parking lots (schools, libraries, pools etc) are rarely swept

What LBWID Learned page 3

• Keep your dump site local if possible – transfer later to larger disposal site

• Not just a curb-and-gutter program

• Weather may affect your sweeping program

• In most cases contractor sweeping is more cost effective

• Many private shopping (strip) malls have effective sweeping programs

• Public parking lots (schools, libraries, pools etc) are rarely swept

• VDOT is responsible for sweeping most all roads in Fairfax County. A daunting task!

• Sweeping streets needs to be viewed as an aesthetic as well as and environmental necessity.

Some Final Thoughts

• Ideally every road in Fairfax County should be swept a minimum of 4 times per year.

THE SOLUTION

• Pressure needs to be exerted on VDOT to increase their sweeping program 4 fold.