Assessing the role of street sweeping in stormwater runoff quality
Date
2025
Authors
Qiu, Amanda
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Abstract
Managing stormwater quality in urban environments is inherently challenging, as rainwater running off streets, rooftops, and other hard surfaces can carry a wide range of pollutants into the storm drain system and local waterways. The variability of rainfall events, diversity of land uses, complexity of drainage infrastructure and range of source control efforts all contribute to dynamic water quality conditions that can be difficult to measure, interpret, and manage. Without effective ways to visualize and analyze this information, valuable insights can remain buried in raw datasets, limiting the ability of municipalities to target interventions, track progress, and communicate outcomes. This study represents the first effort at the City of Victoria to comprehensively visualize historical stormwater outfall water quality data and evaluate how certain stormwater interventions, like street sweeping and catch basin design, may influence water quality. While stormwater quality concerns throughout the City are not new, this work aims to present the data in various ways, thereby helping internal staff, technical professionals, and the broader community better understand contaminants in the City’s storm drain system. By highlighting spatial and temporal patterns in historical data, this project supports more informed decision-making for future interventions to improve stormwater quality.
Rather than focusing solely on historical contaminant issues, this work recognizes the opportunity to build on ongoing efforts to improve stormwater management and pollutant source control. In particular, the project explores how the City’s robust and growing street sweeping program—which operates at a frequency much higher than most Canadian municipalities—is helping to reduce contaminant loading into the City’s storm drain system via the removal of debris from streets.
In addition, the study begins to examine the role of catch basins and catch basin design, including the use of inverted tees. Understanding how different catch basin configurations influence contaminant capture is important when developing source control strategies and may inform future design standards, retrofits, or maintenance priorities.
By developing visualizations of the City’s current and historical stormwater quality data, this project also aims to support education and outreach efforts. Public and industry awareness is essential compliance with regulations, and to long-term improvements in water quality. For example, businesses and property owners should be aware of the materials that are prohibited from entering the City’s storm drain, the impacts of these discharges on the receiving environment and infrastructure, and their responsibility to prevent, respond to, and report spills that do occur.
Overall, this research is foundational for more transparent, collaborative, and evidence-based approaches to stormwater quality management in the City of Victoria.
Description
2025 UVic Sustainability Scholars Program Final Report
Keywords
stormwater, urban environment, rainwater, runoff, water quality data, street sweeping, Sustainability Scholars Program