It’s time to rake and sweep the scoria from your property, onto the side of the road, so city street crews can pick it up. It’s easier to be picked up if it is a long thin line rather than a big pile. Please don’t have any tree branches in there.
Press Release from the City of Steamboat Springs; April 8, 2025.
Making A Clean Sweep of Seasonal Scoria
Clean-Up Part of City’s Particulate Matter-10 Air Quality Plan
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO-April 8, 2025-The city’s street sweepers sweep and drive miles and miles and miles year-round; however, with the arrival of spring, the scrubbing shifts into overdrive during April and May to tackle wayward scoria which creeps out as the snow melts. Scoria clean-up is part of the city’s Particulate Matter-10 (PM-10) Air Quality Maintenance Plan, and residents are asked to cooperate by not using this clean-up for other debris.
“While many areas of the city still have significant snow from this past winter, we are hitting the spots that have melted out and will continue to adjust as the snow recedes,” said Streets Supervisor Tom Martindale. “By getting as much up as possible now, we’re able to keep it from making its way into our waterways and air later.”
During spring, the streets division sweeps accumulated scoria from the roadways. Residents are asked to help by raking/sweeping out any remaining scoria from their property, including the Right-Of-Way and culverts onto the asphalt shoulder of the road. Please keep in mind that long thin lines of scoria are easier and more efficient for the sweeper to pick up instead of large round piles.
The city utilizes two very different sized machines in its sweeping arsenal. The smaller Dulevo-3000 is an all-season street sweeper while the larger TYMCO DST-6 Regenerative Air Sweeper is a heavy-duty powerhouse with twice the capacity. Both vehicles collect heavy dirt, sand, gravel, and scoria and can follow the contours of uneven road surfaces in dry or wet conditions.
“Our scoria program rotates through neighborhoods multiple times during spring; however, we’d appreciate a call to schedule an additional ‘sweep by’, especially if you have a large amount, so our crews can get to the material faster,” continued Martindale.
Commercial contractors or property management companies that provide scoria clean up MUST remove the materials themselves. Branches that have been trimmed or trees that have been cut down, as well as other refuse must be disposed of by the resident or a contractor and should not be placed with scoria. If there are branches within the scoria, the sweepers cannot pick them up. The city and Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council are teaming up for a free two-day event to provide free chipping of seasonal tree debris in early May.
It’s important to remember that winter parking restrictions, including no overnight parking on city streets, are in effect through April 30.