Clean Sweep Workshop

Minnesota Sea Grant and the Water Resources Center at the University of Minnesota partnered with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to host a Clean Sweep Workshop on September 20, 2023, in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Learn about the city of St. Cloud's effective enhanced street sweeping program, including funding sources, cost-effective measures, equipment maintenance, local partnerships, and materials management. Tour the St. Cloud materials management and reuse facilities for a demonstration of their materials screening.

This Clean Sweep Workshop is part of the Clean Sweep Program, designed to help communities initiate street sweeping programs that will help them meet their water quality goals by targeting their efforts where it counts most.

This workshop will include:

Summary of direct and indirect benefits of enhanced street sweeping.
Decision tree and guidance for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) considering a street sweeping program for water quality.
Overview of the MPCA's new phosphorous credit calculator tool and news about future updates.
Tools for estimating total solids and phosphorus from potential street sweeping efforts to aid in planning efforts and to help prioritize street sweeping routes to maximize benefit.
A tour of the street sweepers used by the city of St. Cloud and a Q&A with the equipment operators.
Guidance from MPCA on when and how to test street sweeping materials.
Discussion on materials management challenges, cost-effective options for reusing and disposing of materials, and the potential for regional materials management sites.