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Updated: Aug 16, 2026
13:48
Design and Construction of an Urban Runoff Research Facility
Published on: August 8, 2014
Metals in combined conventional and vegetated road runoff control systems
H Pontier1, J B Williams, E May
1Department of Civil Engineering, University of Portsmouth, UK.
Summary
Road runoff treatment systems, including constructed wetlands, effectively remove suspended solids and fine sediments. These systems show promise for developing future design criteria for road runoff management.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Water Quality Management
Background:
- Road runoff poses environmental risks due to pollutants from traffic.
- Limited design criteria exist for effective road runoff treatment systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the performance of combined conventional and vegetated runoff treatment systems.
- To assess the pollutant removal efficiency, particularly of suspended solids and fine sediments.
- To inform the development of future design criteria for constructed wetlands in road runoff management.
Main Methods:
- Installation of a series of treatment systems: oil separator, sediment trap, grassy slope, and constructed wetland.
- An 18-month monitoring program to assess system performance.
- Analysis of water quality parameters and sediment characteristics.
Main Results:
- Systems, especially wetlands, demonstrated effective removal of suspended solids (>1.2 microm).
- Fine sediments (<63 microm) were effectively trapped by the treatment systems.
- Neutral to basic pH and oxidizing conditions favored metal partitioning to the solid phase.
- Complex metal behavior (Zn, Cu) observed in fine sediments within different wetland systems.
Conclusions:
- Combined conventional and vegetated systems, particularly wetlands, are effective in removing key road runoff pollutants.
- The study provides valuable data for the development of design criteria for vegetated road runoff treatment.
- Further research on metal adsorption behavior in wetlands is warranted.
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