Center for Watershed Protection Releases Street Sweeping/Stormdrain Cleanout Study

TheCenter for Watershed Protectionhas released a new study on reliable pollution prevention techniques using street sweeping and storm drain cleanout programs.

 

The study is entitled,Deriving Reliable Pollutant Removal Ratesfor Municipal Street Sweeping and Storm Drain Cleanout Programs in the Chesapeake Bay Basin."

 

Street sweeping and storm drain cleanout practices are among the oldest practices used by communities to provide cleaner and healthier communities, meet community demand for aesthetics and maintain public safety.

 

With the advent of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, regulated Phase I and Phase II communities can use these practices to help meet their permit requirements. Just how well these practices can reduce pollutants, though, has been uncertain, given current research findings.

In 2005, the Center collaborated with a number of agencies and set out to quantify the pollutant reduction that can be achieved by street sweeping and storm drain cleanouts.

 

This research study had three phases: a literature review, a survey and a monitoring program. All of the information was used to provide locally-derived pollutant removal reductions for street sweeping and storm drain cleanout practices for Chesapeake Bay communities.

 

The final report is available now online.