Generally, the public looks at the obvious. After the mechanical street sweeper comes by, we only see from filth to clean. However, behind the apparent change, parking lot sweeping has a modest yet enormous contribution in maintaining the safety of water especially in the metropolitan areas.
In the city of Greater Toronto Area, or locally known as GTA, parking lot sweeping is necessary. The purpose of this aesthetically sound activity answers both safety and environmental problems. Parking lot sweeping keeps debris, sand, grease, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals off the road to prevent accidents. Indirectly, it lengthens the life of the asphalt. At the same time, parking lot sweeping keeps polluted water or substances off from the urban watershed.
Parking lot sweeping is a generic term in cleaning unwanted objects off the area such as streets or parking area where automobiles are present. How a parking lot is cleaned, depends on the size of the parking area or internal streets. Parking lot sweeping may start with just the use of a broom and pan. In short, hand sweeping. The wastes are collected and disposed to a receptacle. This type is limited only to sweeping off wastes. Specialized sweeping or cleaning such as power washing or flushing may be required depending on the pollutant. However, power washing need to be used sparingly to prevent from getting into storm water drainage system, commonly known as run off. For large parking areas, and streets, mechanical sweepers are necessary.
Mechanical sweepers function varies on its features. They are designed to remove substances that need specialized removal technology. Old sweepers that only used brushes, wet and dry, pulverize large particles producing particulate matter. However, the particles were not collected by these mechanical sweepers. Instead, they are left to be carried away by rain into the water drainage system. Street wastes from automobiles especially when mixed with other particles become toxic, such that they produce lead, copper, zinc and other heavy metals. Sweepers can not just only have brooms whirling. Parking lot mechanical power sweepers evolved with a broom-spray-vacuum pickup action with technical and careful assessments of mechanical sweepers' characteristics.
Dense or growing cities such as the GTA, needs to practice more watershed protection. Ontario is surrounded by Great Lakes and water is a primary concern. Parking lot sweeping becomes a responsibility to protect underground water and is a cost-effective alternative. Mechanical street sweepers minimize water flushing that would lead to run off. Parking lot sweeping becomes a serious business. According to storm water management centers, newer sweepers capture pollutants before they are made soluble by rainwater. With the consciousness among manufacturers, the sweep technology is evolving. In a recent study on debris removal, conventional mechanical broom and vacuum-assisted wet sweepers decrease nonpoint pollution by 5 to 30%; and nutrient content by 0 to 15%, but these newer dry vacuum sweepers can reduce nonpoint pollution by 35 to 80%; and nutrients by 15 to 40% for those areas that can be swept. Recent estimates discovered that new vacuum assisted dry sweeper might achieve a 50-88% overall reduction in the annual sediment loading for a residential street, depending on sweeping frequency.
Climate change and the geographical design of Ontario calls for a strict implementation of Water resources Act and parking lot sweeping is one of the cost-effective means.
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