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Street Sweep Project
West Seattle Schedule & Map
What Seattle Public Utilities is Doing In Your Neighborhood
Your neighborhood has been chosen for the Street Sweep Pilot Project. This means that you and your neighbors will be participating in an important water quality initiative that aims to determine if street sweeping is a good addition to Seattle’s water quality toolbox.
Your neighborhood has been divided into a control area and a ‘sweep’ area. Street dirt and debris will be removed from the sweep area each week. The control area will not be swept.
At the beginning of the pilot, we will clean the control and sweep areas, establishing a baseline for analyzing whether street sweeping reduces pollution sediment. Over the course of the year, we will collect and measure various pollutants and sediment. In both areas, catch basin sediment will be analyzed. In the sweep area, we will analyze and measure sediment that is picked up by the street sweeper as well as sediment that remains on the street. At the end of the year-long pilot project, Seattle Public Utilities will analyze the collected data and present our findings to the City Council for recommendation.
Why Your Neighborhood Was Chosen For The Street Sweep Pilot Project
When searching for neighborhoods to participate in the Street Sweep pilot, the following criteria were considered:
1. Geographic location. Our goal was to represent different geographic locations within the city.
2. Separate storm water and sewer systems. Since the goal is to measure accumulating sediment it was important to find neighborhoods where the storm water runoff remains separate from the sewer system.
3. Neighborhoods that support paired basins. In order to establish a control area and a sweep area, we needed neighborhoods that supported paired areas similar in land use and drainage conditions.
4. The existence of curbs and gutters.
Your neighborhood in West Seattle fulfills these criteria, making it an ideal location for the pilot program.
Terms to Help You Better Understand The Street Sweep Pilot Project
Sweep Basin
The sweep basin is a designated area that closely resembles the control basin. Over the course of the year, pollutants and sediment accumulating in catch basins and remaining on the street will be analyzed and measured. This data provides comparison to the control basin and helps us determine whether street sweeping is a good addition to our water quality toolbox. To make this program work, neighbors in this area will be asked to keep their side of the street free from parked cars, two days per month. View Street Sweep Schedule & Map (pdf).
Control Basin
The control basin is a designated area that closely resembles the sweep basin. This area will not be swept. Over the course of the year, various pollutants and sediment that accumulate in catch basins will be analyzed. This data provides a comparison to the sweep basin and will help us determine whether street sweeping is a good addition to its water quality toolbox.
Catch Basin
A reservoir designed to collect sediment from surface drainage or runoff.
Pollutants and Sediments
Every day, pollution from cars, lawns and businesses flows from neighborhood streets into our waterways. The Street Sweeping pilot team will be analyzing the composition of street sediment for the following pollutants:
- • Petroleum
- • Hydrocarbons
- • Heavy Metals
- • Nutrients
- • Other trace organic compounds
Related Links
Street Sweep Questions and Answers
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