NATURE OF POLLUTANTS IN ROAD PAVEMENT DRAINAGE

This paper is concerned with that part of urban runoff that derives from pavement surface drainage. Materials present on the pavement surface represent the majority of the pollutional load in its surface drainage. There are three sources of these surface materials, those directly attributable to the presence of motor vehicles, those attributable to the presence of humans in these vehicles, and materials which have been transported from the surrounding area. Methods of analysis for pollution load are described. The nature of petroleum based products likely to act as contaminants in surface drainage is described. The interaction between oil and water is discussed and the difficulties in encouraging biodegradation of hydrocarbons for treatment of pavement runoff are explained. The origin of lead contamination is outlined. The paper states that little study of the changes which occur to hydrocarbons while they remain on the pavement has been undertaken. Under Australian weather conditions such changes are considered more likely to occur than in Britain, for instance. Several groups of the compounds associated with fuels and lubricants can be very dangerous. /Author/TRR