Stormwater management in a catchbasin perspective - best practices or sustainable strategies?

Abstract

A strategy for sustainable stormwater management is needed. This study has focused on the relative importance of stormwater as a pollutant source in a catchbasin, if Best Management Practices (BMPs) result in pollutant removal or pollutant redistribution, and methods for screening of stormwater strategies. Stormwater is most likely an important pathway for pollutants in a catchbasin perspective. True pollutant removal can only be achieved if the pollutant sources are eliminated. Until that is reached, we should have the best possible control of the pollutant fluxes in the watershed. This study indicates that the search for a sustainable stormwater strategy could be easier to handle if different “screens” could be used. The Swedish environmental objectives, which try to encapsulate all aspects of sustainability, may be used as a foundation for a “sustainability screen”. By using this screen, the “unsustainable” features of different stormwater strategies could be pointed out. A “standards and legislation screen” will be based on the EU Water Framework Directive. As this study has shown, it is doubtful whether the conventional BMPs, such as stormwater ponds and infiltration facilities, produce a sufficient pollutant control.