City of Coachella - Purchase of Regenerative Air Street Sweeper

The City of Coachella, located in the Coachella Valley region of the South Coast AQMD, purchased a model year 2003 Elgin Crosswind regenerative air street sweeper. This vehicle operates on dedicated compressed natural gas (CNG), is PM-10 certified, and complies with South Coast AQMD Rule 1186.1. The sweeper was purchased to augment the City's street sweeping program. Due to the desert topography of the Coachella Valley, wind conditions often cause sand to accumulate on city streets and arterials. This sand is run over by motor vehicles, which grind the sand into finer particles and causes it to become airborne. This ultra-fine sand, with particle sizes on the order of 10 microns or smaller, poses a health risk to the city residents who breathe it. The addition of the regenerative air sweeper to the City fleet allows the City to increase their sweeping frequency and clean up blow sand that accumulates on city roads during high wind events. The sweeper was put into service on January 20, 2004. Over the course of 15 months, the sweeper logged 1,585 hours of operation, averaging five days per week for a total of 249 sweeping days. A total of 8,299 miles of streets have been swept.