Stormwater quality during residential construction activities: influential variables

Abstract

Research on the water quality of urban runoff has so far focussed on the post-development phase of urban catchments, whereas water quality in developing areas under construction has remained less understood. The construction phase, however, may constitute a considerable source of diffuse pollution in urban areas. This study investigated the mechanisms affecting water quality in residential areas during the construction and post-construction phases. Water quality (suspended solids, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand) and runoff were monitored over a period of 5 years in three catchments located in the city of Espoo in Southern Finland. The catchments included an urbanizing area under construction and low-density and high-density residential areas. The water quality was quantified in terms of event mean concentrations and loads. The key influential variables explaining the water quality in a multiple linear regression analysis included hydrological variables (event volume and intensity), antecedent conditions and a variable describing the ongoing construction projects. Construction activities in the developing catchment had a profound impact on water quality. Inclusion of the variables describing activities, such as earth moving works, paving, house construction and temporary wastewater discharges, was necessary to explain water quality variations in the developing catchment. The importance of antecedent conditions as an explanatory variable depended on the site and the pollutant in question. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.