THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STREET SWEEPERS IN REMOVING POLLUTANTS FROM ROAD SURFACES IN FLORIDA

ABSTRACT

To test the effectiveness of street sweepers in the sandy-surfaced, subtropical Florida Peninsula, a controlled experiment was set up to compare the effectiveness of two different sweeper types in removing sediments, heavy metals, and organic constituents from a paved surface. Both a rotary brush and a regenerative air sweeper were tested on an asphalt roadway. The results indicate that rotary brush sweepers are more effective in removing total sediment loads from roads in this type of environment. However, the chemical analyses proved somewhat inconclusive. Each sweeper was effective in removing particular chemicals off streets, but neither sweeper proved better in all categories. Nevertheless, the rotary brush sweeper was most effective in removing the total sediment load off streets and is therefore recommended for use in areas covered with coarse sediments in the local drainage basin.

Keywords:

• Street sweeping
• Urban sediment pollution
• Storm water

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank the Florida Department of Transportation for support and the City of Tampa street sweeping operations managers for their assistance. We are also grateful to Mark Billus for assistance in the field.