In an effort to reduce water usage, City Hall is considering some changes to its street sweeping practices and parking may open up as a side effect.
Street sweeping trucks are being made more water efficient. And down the road, City Hall may reduce street sweeping on some major thoroughfares from six days a week for both sides of the street to three days a week for each side. This would have the added effect of opening up some overnight parking options.
Currently, City Hall uses 1,500 gallons of water every day to sweep the streets. Multiplied by 365, that's more than half a million gallons.
In the midst of the current drought, city officials are requiring that residents and businesses cut back on water usage or face penalties. Some residents have complained that City Hall should be doing more to reduce its usage.
"Street sweeping equipment is being retrofitted to utilize water from the Santa Monica Urban Runoff Reclamation Facility (SMURRF), thus freeing up potable water supplies," Cline's report said.
Additionally, the Resource Recovery & Recycling Division (RRR) is consider a proposal to reduce six-day-a-week cleanings to three-day-a-week cleanings on Ocean Park Boulevard, Pico Boulevard, Olympic Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, Montana Avenue, Main Street and Lincoln Boulevard south from Wilshire Boulevard.
Currently, the streets are scheduled for sweeping between 3 and 5 a.m. Monday through Saturday, with no parking allowed on either side of the street during that time.
If the three-day-a-week proposal moves forward, street sweepers would rotate sides, cleaning from 3 to 6 a.m. Overnight parking would be allowed on the side that isn't slated for sweeping that night.
RRR is auditing those streets to see how often cleaning is needed. Goals of the audit include reducing water usage, remaining in compliance with federal pollution runoff laws, and maintaining existing cleanliness levels.
Some lesser changes to street sweeping dates will go into effect on March 1, according to a report from Interim Director of Public Works Susan Cline.
Those will include a shift in street sweeping on Wellesley Drive, Bryn Mawr Avenue, and Sunset Avenue from Wednesdays to Mondays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. impacting 160 residences.
"Residents of these areas contacted RRR to request that the scheduled service be changed to sweep up debris remaining on the street from trash, recycling and organics collection operations which occur on Friday in this neighborhood," Cline's report said.
Additionally, the south sides of Pearl and Pine streets as well the north sides of Maple and Cedar streets between 11th and Euclid street will switch from Wednesday to Monday between 2 and 4 p.m. impacting 96 residences.
Currently, sweeping overlaps with trash day.
"Containers remained on the street for collection during the scheduled hours of street sweeping services," Cline's report said, "impacting the effectiveness of street sweeping operations."
dave@www.smdp.com
