Street sweeping serves as part of the City's Clean Water Program to control and improve water quality. Motorized sweeping removes visible and invisible debris from the streets before it goes into the storm drains. Visible debris, such as paper and leaves, can collect in the gutters, which block stormwater facilities and can cause localized flooding during heavy rains. Invisible debris, such as metal particles and other hazardous waste products left by passing vehicles, threaten the health of fish and other aquatic life. Street sweeping along PCH is conducted weekly on Fridays, which is intended to improve safety for the many cyclists and beachgoers who utilize the highway on weekends.
Most of the street sweeping is done between the hours of 2:00 to 7:00 AM, as indicated on the street sweeping schedule. The City does not have an ordinance restricting parking on public roadways on street sweeping days. Residents and business owners are requested, however, to use off-street parking on these days whenever possible.