Stormwater Runoff of Hydrocarbons in the Tama River Basin in Tokyo (Japan) and Their Fate in the River

Abstract

Stormwater runoff pollution in urban areas has a significant impact on the aquatic environment. The Nogawa River, which is a tributary of the Tama River in Tokyo, runs through a residential district. At high water levels, more aliphatic hydrocarbons were found in the river water than at normal water levels. It seemed that the hydrocarbons in the water at normal water levels originated from gray water, and those at high water levels were from automobile emissions and/or resuspended bottom sediment. Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were negligible in river water at both normal and high water levels whereas they were high in the bottom sediment. It is most probable that the PAHs originated from sources other than automobile emissions.