Annual Leaf Pick-Up Program

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Web Page and new leaf routing info coming soon!

When will the County begin its leaf pickup program?

Lane County Public Works begins its annual leaf pickup program in November - weather permitting. Started in 1990, Lane County Public Works has been providing this service to the residents of unincorporated areas of Santa Clara/River Road and Springfield on Lane County maintained curbed roads with storm drainage systems. The annual program usually continues through the end of December depending on the volume of leaves. Listed below are frequently asked questions containing valuable information about the leaf pickup program.

Why collect leaves?

Removing leaves from catch basins, grates and gutters allows storm water to run off and prevents flooding of streets and private property. Decaying leaves that pass through storm drains pollute waterways by absorbing oxygen needed by fish, plants and other aquatic life. It is far more cost effective to pick up leaves before flooding causes serious damage to County roads and/or private properties. Flooded streets can increase unsafe driving conditions for the traveling public. Repairs to flood damaged County roads can quickly exceed the cost of the program in a very short time. Lane County Public Works averages around 250 loads of tightly packed leaves each year, which is approximately 3750 cubic yards.

What are the leaf preparation guidelines?

Leaves must be in the roadway, but piled away from parked vehicles, storm drains and gutters, bike and traffic lanes, and curbs.
Lane County cannot pick up leaves on sidewalks or in private yards.
Keep leaves free from other debris such as branches, rocks, metal, and lawn clippings. Prepare leaves less than a week before the scheduled pickup.
Leaves piled longer than a week may scatter and plug storm sewer systems.
Please do not bag your leaves.
Leaf pick-up will be provided for curb and gutter streets only.
Avoid placing leaves in front of mailboxes.

What roads will the County service?

Leaf pickup will begin in the River Road/Santa Clara area and proceed to the City of Springfield. Maps with more detail are located on this webpage.

River Road and Santa Clara roads including:

County-maintained curbed streets located north of Irving Rd to Beacon Drive West, between River Road and Northwest Expressway
County-maintained curbed streets located in the area north of Hunsaker Ln-Beaver to Beacon Drive East and between River Road and the Willamette River.

Lane County used to pick up leaves for residents north of Beltline Hwy. If you live between Beltline and Irving or Hunsaker Ln-Beaver St, your leaves are currently picked up by the City of Eugene.

Unincorporated Springfield areas including:

Centennial Boulevard, Blossom Street developed areas, Hayden Bridge Road and North 19th Street, Jasper Road and South 42nd Street, and Harbor Drive.

When will the County be on my street?

Lane County provides an Information Phone Line (541-682-8565). The current leaf pickup schedule is also available on this webpage.

It describes where leaf pickup begins on a weekly basis. Many variables including weather, staffing levels, working equipment, amount of leaves collected, and emergency storm events do not allow the exact streets to be pinpointed each day.

It is best to have your leaves collected on the streets prior to Monday morning of the week they are scheduled to be in your area.

Why can't Lane County provide the exact date they will be on my street?

Lane County currently provides updates on a weekly basis. Since each day's success depends on many factors including weather, staffing levels, working equipment, amount of leaves, and emergency storm events, it is difficult to predict exactly where the crews will be each day. It is recommended your leaves be collected on your street prior to Monday morning of the week they are scheduled to be in your area.

Where does the County take Collected leaves?

Lane County Public Works takes most of our collected leaves to local farms. We do offer a leaf pick-up area behind the Public Works campus at 3050 N. Delta Hwy during daylight hours, 7 days per week, starting the first day of our pick-up schedule. Be sure to bring appropriate tools.

Can I have a load of leaves dumped at my property?

Community members may contact Lane County Public Works by email at [email protected] or by phone at 541-682-6905 if they wish to request delivery of leaves to private property during the program.

Lane County's dump truck delivery loads hold approximately 15 cubic yards of tightly packed leaves, which is comparable to about 5 pickup loads of leaves at all once! So if you are looking for a smaller quantity, we recommend coming to our leaf pick-up site at 3050 N. Delta Hwy and loading your own.

Each request is processed individually with a site visit to determine adequate ingress and egress to the property, convenience to the leaf collection area and sufficient area for dumping. Not all requests for private delivery will be authorized.

What if my street or intersection is flooding because the storm drains and gutters are clogged with leaves?

Call Lane County Public Works at (541-682-6900) to let them know you are experiencing major flooding on your street or intersection. If possible, safely unclog the leaves from the storm drains until County crews can pick up leaves from the area.

Can I bag my leaves?

Lane County Public Works can only pick up leaves left on the street. Leaves placed in bags will not be picked up.

Why is my street so messy after leaves are removed?

Equipment used to collect the leaves will go along several blocks to a central collection location to load into dump trucks. Leaves pushed to collection points may shed and blow around leaving some debris on the streets. Lane County Public Works crews clean up the streets as best as they can. Leaf pickup is also followed by a street sweeper as soon as time permits.

Why didn't the street sweeper sweep my street?

Lane County provides routine street sweeping on curbed streets on a regular schedule. A sweeper follows the leaf pickup crew sweeping only those leaf collection areas. It will come back and sweep your street during its regularly scheduled intervals.

Why did you miss my leaves?

Many times parked vehicles do not allow equipment to safely remove leaf piles placed too closely to them. If time permits, County crews will go back and collect those leaves placed after Public Works has serviced the area.

When will you be back?

Lane County will make two complete trips through each area. beginning with the River Road/Santa Clara area and finishing with the unincorporated areas of the City of Springfield. The anticipated schedule is posted on the web page.

When will you be finished?

Lane County's leaf pickup program will be completed by the end of December. The Leaf Information Phone Line is updated each Friday by 5:00 p.m. during the program. The current leaf pickup schedule is also available on this webpage.

Who do I contact if I have questions about the leaf pickup program?

Please send us an email at [email protected] if you have any questions or contact Jennifer Paugh at 541-682-6905.

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