Study launched to quantify street sweeping’s effectiveness

SCCWRP and the Southern California Stormwater Monitoring Coalition (SMC) have kicked off a two-year study that will measure the effectiveness of routine street sweeping in removing contaminants that would otherwise enter storm drains and contribute to runoff pollution.

The study, which kicked off in September, follows the completion of a pilot study in early 2025 that developed a robust, repeatable method for quantifying the role that street sweeping plays in reducing runoff pollution.

Street sweeping is a type of non-structural BMP (best management practice) that is a routine part of stormwater management programs in communities across Southern California, but what has historically been unclear is what portion of stormwater pollutants – sediment, nutrients, trace heavy metals, microplastics and bacteria – are removed from roadways through street sweeping.

An SMC workgroup is in the process of selecting sites for the study; field work could begin as early as spring 2026.