Stormwater Awareness Week in September Will Feature Info on Recent Microplastics Testing Process

The see more about Storm Water Awareness Week and to sign up for the FREE webinar discussed below, as well as others, go to the Storm Water Awareness Week website. Note that registration will open on September 1st. Roger Sutherland and Ranger Kidwell-Ross had one of the top-rated webinars at their 2023 and 2024 webinars. This year they will be presenting their workshop on Wednesday, September 24th at 11am, Pacific. It will include a summary of results and implications from the July 2025 microplastics pick-up performance test led by the City of Santa Barbara, with research by University of California at Santa Barbara, at LASAN's Donald C. Tillman Reclamation Plant, Van Nuys, CA.

The recent microplastics pickup performance testing initiative, funded by NOAA's Sea Grant Marine Debris Program^*, and led by the City of Santa Barbara, CA, in collaboration with the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), was conducted in July 2025 at the LASAN's Donald C. Tillman Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys, CA.

Roger Sutherland and Ranger Kidwell-Ross are two of the industry's most respected voices and will be offering this year a groundbreaking and candid discussion on the state of mechanical street sweeping, its pivotal role in storm water pollution abatement, and the surprisingly formidable roadblocks to testing created by many US equipment manufacturers. Their exchange provides critical insight for operators, municipal purchasers, and especially the storm water community responsible for keeping our cities clean.

Understanding the Microplastics Testing Process

The just-concluded field study represents the first multi-model street sweeper performance test of its kind in fourteen years, with special focus on the machines' ability to collect microplastics – a growing pollutant of concern worldwide. Roger Sutherland will emphasize the rigor: UCSB researchers meticulously spiked a carefully engineered, simulated street dirt with microplastics that match what's actually found accumulated in urban gutters. This uniquely controlled approach allowed a meaningful evaluation of sweeper effectiveness under high-stakes, real-world conditions.

What made the test even more valuable was the collaborative spirit: Santa Barbara city staff, university researchers, and six street sweeper operators participated. Roger was especially impressed by the commitment of the two street sweeping manufacturers that participated, Merit SweepRite and Netherlands-based Fayat Cleantech Solutions, as well as the skill displayed by seasoned operators – demonstrating again that skilled operation is every bit as vital as the machine itself.

Lessons Learned: The Human Factor

A major theme throughout the discussion will include the oversized influence of the operator in determining actual sweeper effectiveness. Ranger and Roger observed that high-performing outcomes emerged less from the age or design of the machines than from the experience and adaptability of the operators. Technical advances – such as adjustable gutter brooms or tandem broom configurations – are only as effective as the people using them. This will be a component of their Storm Water Awareness week webinar.

Attendees will learn why objective, comparative data are crucial for expanding best practices and expanding the market both domestically and internationally. This is in line with recent research from Florida and Minnesota, where MS4s now receive regulatory credits and financial incentives for enhanced sweeping, supported by strong evidence that it is the most cost-effective Best Management Practice (BMP) for storm water pollution abatement ‐ making it the first line of defense in urban storm water prevention programs.

(Both the Florida and Minnesota studies have shown that, when properly executed, street sweeping is five-to-seven times more cost-effective for removing pollutants than any other BMP alternative, including catch basin cleaning or applying specialized in-pipe or in-stream storm water pollutant controls.)

The presenters will discuss why broad adoption of credible, head-to-head sweeper testing, if supported by both manufacturers and the storm water community, would allow for an evidence-based narrative and truly informed purchasing. Cities and contractors would gain the insight to make smarter buying decisions; manufacturers would have the incentive to innovate and differentiate, improving the industry as a whole and driving urban water quality gains globally.

The two presenters are prepared to educate the storm water community – managers, engineers, scientists, policymakers, storm water advocates, and politicians ‐ the importance of demanding rigorous, ongoing sweeper performance evaluation and transparency. Only then will the industry outgrow its status quo and seize the full, cost-effective potential of enhanced street sweeping for urban pollution control. Transparent collaboration and documentation lead to not just cleaner cities, the presenters will show, but a legacy that could raise the global profile and impact of street sweeping as a linchpin of storm water management and waterway protection.

Key Webinar Takeaways Proposed for Operators, Buyers, and Storm Water Professionals

Importance of demanding and supporting independent, head-to-head sweeper performance testing as a key way to foster innovation and data-driven purchasing.
Recognition of the critical role operator experience and training offer, aspects that matter as much as design and specifications.
Why widespread encouragement and pressure on sweeper manufacturers to participate openly in transparent performance benchmarking will benefit the whole industry as well as improving public health.
The importance of advocating for regulatory and/or financial incentive programs that reward effective, science-backed pollutant removal practices.
Discuss why educating the storm water community, especially, via ongoing documentation and continuous improvement is the pathway to cleaner streets, ultimately a key to cleaner waterways, streams and oceans.

You may reach Ranger via email sent to ranger@worldsweeper.com; for Roger, send to sutherland.roger1@gmail.com.

^* The opinions expressed in this article do not in any way reflect the opinions of NOAA, Sea Grant, the City of Santa Barbara, or the University of California, Santa Barbara.

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