Abstract
The aim was to assess the influence of a full silt trap at the end of a stormwater drainage pipe on the water quality of stormwater discharged into a semi-natural urban watercourse. For approximately eleven weeks, the water qualities of the preliminarily treated stormwater and of the receiving watercourse (Braid Burn) were studied. The mean outflow concentrations of suspended solids were 2.0 mg/l and 34.1 mg/l during dry and wet weather conditions, respectively. Suspended solids concentrations of up to 141.6 mg/l were recorded during storm events. Suspended solids values for treated stormwater were often too high compared to international secondary wastewater treatment standards of around 30 mg/l. Pollutants including heavy metals (e.g., zinc, copper and nickel) accumulated in the silt trap. However, high outflow velocities during heavy rainfall events did not result in clearly defined sediment layers due to sediment re-suspension. Metals did not accumulate in the receiving watercourse.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 471-483 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | International Journal of Environmental Studies |
Volume | 61 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2004 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Silt trap
- Stormwater management
- Surface water run-off
- Suspended solids
- Urban watercourse
- Wet weather flow
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Ecology
- Waste Management and Disposal
- Pollution
- Computers in Earth Sciences