I was curios why Londonderry is biding out REQUEST FOR BIDS: Street Sweeping Services.
So I consulted AI. It appears that Londonderry should have been street sweeping for a number of years. Reports dating back to 2020 indicate that street sweeping is required. Londonderry which has and MS4 permit must “Establish and implement procedures for sweeping all Town owned roads and parking lots with curbs and/or catch basins at least once per year in early spring following winter deicing applications.”
Here is what AI has to say:
Are town in New Hampshire required to provide Street Sweeping Services?
No. New Hampshire towns are generally not legally required by state law to provide street sweeping services as a basic municipal service.
Street sweeping is usually considered a discretionary public works function that towns may choose to provide.
That said, there are some important exceptions and related obligations:
Municipalities that operate under certain federal and state stormwater permits (MS4 permits) may be required to perform some level of street sweeping as part of pollution control and stormwater management programs. For example, the Town of Windham has formal street sweeping procedures tied to MS4 environmental compliance.
One important nuance: if Londonderry is operating under EPA/New Hampshire DES stormwater (MS4) permit requirements, the town may be expected to conduct some street sweeping as part of pollution and runoff control practices. However, that is an environmental compliance obligation — not necessarily a requirement that every street be swept on a particular schedule.
Please check whether Londonderry has an MS4 permit and what it specifically requires.
Yes. United States Environmental Protection Agency records show that the Town of Londonderry is covered under the New Hampshire Small MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) permit program.
The MS4 permit does not simply “encourage” street sweeping — Londonderry’s own Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) states that the town must:
“Establish and implement procedures for sweeping all Town owned roads and parking lots with curbs and/or catch basins at least once per year in early spring following winter deicing applications.”
Londonderry’s SWMP further states:
- sweeping should target areas with higher pollutant loads,
- the town must track and report lane miles swept,
- and the program is tied to pollutant reduction requirements under the EPA MS4 permit.
However, the EPA annual reports show Londonderry struggled to fully implement the program for several years.
For example:
- A 2020 annual report stated that a sweeping program “was not established.”
- A later report said the town was still “developing a draft street sweeping program” and historically had not conducted town-wide sweeping.
The most important distinction is:
- The MS4 permit creates an environmental compliance obligation between the town and EPA/state regulators.
- It does not necessarily create an individual resident right to demand sweeping on a particular street or schedule.
But Londonderry is required under its MS4 stormwater program to develop and implement a street sweeping program for municipal roads and parking lots that meet the permit criteria.