Street Sweeping Resumes Sept. 10 In Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, VA - From the City of Falls Church: Street sweeping returns to the City of Falls Church the week of September 10. The City asks the community to move vehicles off the streets from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the day their area is scheduled for street sweeping. Doing so helps crews do a more efficient and effective job of preventing more than 200 tons of debris from entering our local waterways.

In addition to moving vehicles, residents can help by using a broom or shovel and dustpan to sweep the gutter pan in front of your residence when debris accumulates -- including rocks, leaves, trash, large sticks, and sediment. This is especially helpful in areas that routinely have cars parked on the street or are under low hanging trees. Dispose of debris in the trash, not with yard waste.

The street sweeping schedule for the week of September 10 is subject to change for weather:

• Monday, September 10 and Tuesday, September 11: residential areas south of Broad St.
• Thursday, September 13 and Friday, September 14: residential areas north of Broad St.
• Commercial areas and municipal parking areas will be swept in the evening and overnight

This is the final street sweeping of the year (except for emergencies). Leaf collection is scheduled to begin in mid-October.

The City has contracted with Quiet Sweep, which deploys trucks that are known as “regenerative sweepers." This technology uses forced air to create a swirling effect inside a contained sweeping head and then uses negative pressure to suck road debris off the street and dump it inside a hopper. Regenerative air sweepers can pick up very small particles as well as large debris.

Street sweeping reduces the volume of pollutants entering local streams through the City's 900 storm drain openings. Each cycle of street sweeping collects between 40 and 50 tons of debris from City streets and keeps it out of our streams. The materials intercepted include heavy metals, trash, and general sediment. The City anticipates collecting more than 200 tons of debris from five sweep cycles throughout the year.

The Department of Public Works manages many projects and programs to protect our City streams and the Chesapeake Bay from polluted runoff. Storm drain cleaning is a critical part of our maintenance program. Removing debris from the storm drainage system reduces the volume of pollutants entering local streams and improves capacity. In 2017, over 100 cubic yards of debris were removed from the system by cleaning catch basins, sediment traps, and pipes. This is equivalent to a debris pile 27 feet long by 10 feet wide by 10 feet high.

For more information on street sweeping, visit www.fallschurchva.gov/Sweep or contact the Department Public Works at 703-248-5176 (TTY 711), dpw@fallschurchva.gov.

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