Minimizing Contaminant Impact from Road and Parking Runoff

Surface water runoff from highways and parking surfaces can contain high levels of heavy metals, suspended solids, micro-organisms (including pathogenic bacteria), and organic contaminants. Mitigating the negative impact of these contaminants in storm water runoff from these surfaces has become a priority issue to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). However, predicting pollutant behavior requires field and experimental data that may be very site or area specific, and is currently lacking for the Great Plains region. Specifically, different system designs will be compared relative to hydraulic properties, effluent water quality, and the retention of pollutant metals. Research will be performed at the field-scale using different runoff control systems currently in operation in Douglas and Johnson Counties, and in controlled studies at the Nelson Environmental Study Area. Supplemental laboratory studies will also be conducted to assess metal specifation and remobilization under varying conditions. This project will aid in understanding the fate of contaminants in storm water runoff from paved surfaces and help to determine "best management practices" that balance hydraulic and water quality needs with minimal contaminant impact to the environment.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Sponsor Organizations:

  University of Kansas, Lawrence

  Transportation Research Institute
  2117 Learned Hall, 1530 W 15th Street
  Lawrence, KS  United States  66045
• Performing Organizations:

  University of Kansas, Lawrence

  Transportation Research Institute
  2117 Learned Hall, 1530 W 15th Street
  Lawrence, KS  United States  66045
• Principal Investigators:

  Young, Brian

  Graham, David

  Peltier, Edward

• Start Date: 20061000
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 16722

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bacteria; Biodeterioration; Contaminants; Drainage; Environmental impacts; Heavy metals; Highways; Hydraulics; Parking facilities; Research projects; Runoff
• Uncontrolled Terms: Surface water
• Geographic Terms: Kansas
• Subject Areas: Highways; Terminals and Facilities; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01460039
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University of Kansas, Lawrence
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 1:17PM