Water quality impacts of bridge stormwater runoff from scupper drains on receiving waters: A review

摘要

This article provides insight into the environmental significance of bridge deck stormwater runoff from scupper drains on receiving water bodies through a review of over eighty sources of information including research and review articles, technical reports and government websites. This article discusses sources and impacts of stormwater pollutants and presents potential methods for predicting impacts of stormwater runoff on receiving waters from highways and bridges. Records of similarities and possible differences between highway and bridge deck stormwater runoff are provided, and the significance of scupper drains as points of runoff discharge from bridges is discussed. Factors that influence bridge deck stormwater runoff quality include the location of the bridge, dimensions of the bridge deck, composition of the road surface, age of the bridge, design and maintenance of the drainage system, traffic volume, and intensity and frequency of rainfall events. Several pollutants of concern are discussed, such as heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, solids, nutrients, oil, grease, polychlorinated biphenyls, and perfluorinated compounds. This review also discusses available methods for treatment of bridge deck runoff and the challenge of applying these methods for treatment of bridge deck runoff, as compared to treatment of highway runoff. Finally, this article considers the application of the stochastic empirical loading and dilution model (SELDM), a joint product of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Federal Highway Administration, to predict and assess the potential effects of runoff on receiving waters.