Contribution of car, truck, bus and subway wash station discharges to stormwater pollution (Toulouse, France)
Abstract
The European Water Framework Directive requires the monitoring of priority pollutants entering surface waters. This includes notably the stormwater network. In this study, the contribution of discharges from wash stations to pollution of the stormwater network was investigated. Six wash stations discharging wastewater into the stormwater network were selected: (i) one trucks wash station, (ii) two self-service stations for cars and motorcycles, (iii) two bus wash stations, (iv) one subway wash station. Classical parameters (conductivity, pH, turbidity, chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, suspended solid) and organic micropollutants (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Total Hydrocarbons (TH) and Methylterbutylether (MTBE)) were checked and measured. Concentrations were compared with limit values from Greater Toulouse decontamination service regulations for the discharge licenses of carwashes, and under the French decree for discharges into the natural environment and with the proposed directive from the European Parliament and the Council, dealing with environmental quality standards. The result showed a decrease of pollution downstream of the pre-treatments for subway wash stations but not for bus wash stations. According to the directives, the pre-treatment processes are not sufficient to justify a discharge into the stormwater network.
Origin | Files produced by the author(s) |
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