WSA Member Update 9.1.24

September 1, 2024 Dear WSA Members, I’m sending this out today since September 1st falls on a Sunday, so let me wish each of you a safe and happy Labor Day Holiday. I encourage you to emphasize to your sweeping team that an increased number of revelers will be on the road this weekend so they need to exercise increased vigilance. Also, if you’re cleaning up after any large-scale parties, remember that one of the largest causes of hopper fires is picking up briquets that are still hot! Thanks to PA-based WSA member, Thomas Arena, who sent our office the audio from the August 6th Zoomcast that he’d attended. The session, which was billed as a ‘virtual roundtable discussion,’ was the increasing lawsuits being seen by sweeping contractors on issues they shouldn’t be a party to – but which they are because of the onerous contract they signed with the client being sued. The organizer, Jay Presutti, said in the promo for the event that his company had been hit with three such in the last 45 days. We analyzed the hour-long audio discussion, paring it down to a three-page PDF, which I titled “Sweeping Industry Faces Rising Tide of Litigation: Experts Urge Proactive Measures.” In our next issue of the WSA Update we’ll provide added information designed to further inform on ways the industry might push back against this costly trend. Historical and Current Overview on Characteristics and  Capabilities of Street-Class Power Sweepers At the WorldSweeper website I have a document, which I update periodically, called “Historical and Current Overview on Characteristics and Capabilities of Street-Class Power Sweepers.” I did an update earlier this month since the Minnesota Sea Grant organization wanted to reference some of the information for an upcoming seminar. The document is an 11-page explanation starting with the National Urban Runoff Program (NURP) study held in the 1980s that found broom sweepers of the era to be ineffective in reducing stormwater runoff pollution. Much has changed since then, as the PDF explains.  The latest version also includes the recent study from Los Angeles, which showed a 75% removal rate by an Elgin RegenX but only a 25% removal rate by an Elgin Broom Bear. These results were reported in the August WorldSweeper e-newsletter. The revision further covers the current state of the industry in terms of electric-powered models available. You will find the information to be a good overview of the industry and the increasing by stormwater professionals of the role street sweeping can play in pavement-based pollutant removal. FYI, membership benefit provider V-Belt Supply, who always provides a 10% discount to WSA Members, is offering 23% off for its Labor Day Sale. This is a great time to save some $$ by ordering the drive and other belts you foresee needing in the near future. As always, if you have questions or comments about this WSA Member Update, or anything else to do with the World Sweeping Association or power sweeping in general, please let me know. Good Sweeping, Ranger Kidwell-Ross, Executive Director World Sweeping Association