Runoff from roads is transporting pollutants into UK’s waterways and causing “catastrophic damage”, according to a new whitepaper from Keyline Civils Specialist, reports New Civil Engineer. The civil engineering company hosted a roundtable discussion earlier this year to bring attention to road runoff issues, with participation from influential figures from industry, academia, government, and the third sector.
The whitepaper highlights that there are one million instances in the UK where road runoff meets watercourses at outfalls. This leads to 18% of water body failures in England as per the Water Framework Directive.
Keyline noted the dichotomy between acute and chronic pollution. Acute pollution incidents occur when pollutants end up in rivers after heavy rainfall following a dry period, particularly in the summer months. “The sudden influx of chemicals drives up nutrient levels, boosting algal growth – this growth consumes most of the oxygen in the water. Fish and other aquatic creatures are deprived of oxygen, in severe cases leading to death,” the report stated.
Chronic pollution, which is less visible, involves a steady drip of pollutants which can result in bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms and long-term ecosystem damage. Keyline noted that chronic pollution can lead to the bioaccumulation of pollutants in aquatic organisms and long-term impact on ecosystem health, including “cumulative effects on water quality, which may persist even during periods of low rainfall or drought”.
Regulatory challenges further complicate the issue. Responsibilities for roads are split between local authorities, National Highways in England, Transport Scotland, Traffic Wales, the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, and private road owners. The whitepaper pointed to a lack of enforcement and appropriate regulation.
Keyline technical director George Woollard emphasized the urgency of addressing road runoff pollution: “Water pollution has never held the public interest as it does now”, and he added “road runoff hasn’t attracted the same scrutiny as other sources of water pollution, but this is rightfully – necessarily – beginning to change”.
HR Wallingford senior scientist Lizzie Gorton added, “Solving this significant source of water pollution is crucial to river health and can only be done by working collaboratively to find effective solutions.”
The Rivers Trust also highlighted the problem, calling for a “proper monitoring regime” to address the issue. Dr. Rob Collins, director of policy and science at The Rivers Trust, stressed the need for immediate action: “As our towns, cities, and road networks continue to grow, we must take the problem as seriously as we do sewage pollution.”
