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Updated: Nov 2, 2025
Design and Construction of an Urban Runoff Research Facility
Published on: August 8, 2014
Pollutant first flush identification and its implications for urban runoff pollution control: a roof and road runoff
Wei Zhang1, Juan Li2, Huichao Sun2
1Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 100044 Beijing, China E-mail: weizhang021@163.com; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Urban Sewage System Construction and Risk Control, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 100044 Beijing, China; Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Future Urban Design, 100044 Beijing, China.
Abstract:
First flush is a common phenomenon in urban runoff pollution. Typical cement roof and asphalt road runoff in Beijing, China were monitored for 2 years. Based on the M(v) curve, the suspended solids (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus (TP) and particulate phosphorus in cement roof runoff presented a stronger first flush than those in asphalt road runoff. The first flush volume (VFF) of SS, COD, total nitrogen (TN) and TP in asphalt road runoff differed slightly from the cement roof. There were also differences in the first flush assessment depending on which method was used. We proposed a new method based on the runoff depth versus pollutant cumulative mass curve. According to the national standards in China (VFF = 3 mm), various masses of different pollutants, such as 91.42 ± 9.80% (cement roof) and 78.49 ± 19.41% (asphalt road) of SS and 86.85 ± 13.54% (cement roof) and 72.80 ± 25.79% (asphalt road) of COD, can be effectively controlled, but our mass control efficiencies were 55.91%-66.65% when VFF = 1 mm. The new method proposed in this study provides an alternative approach for assessing runoff pollution control efficiency of different VFF.
