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Drainage from Roads and Airfields to Soakaways: Groundwater Pollutant or Valuable Recharge?
Author(s) -
PRICE M.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
water and environment journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1747-6593
pISSN - 1747-6585
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-6593.1994.tb01138.x
Subject(s) - groundwater recharge , aquifer , drainage , environmental science , pollutant , groundwater , water resource management , water supply , environmental engineering , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , geotechnical engineering , ecology , chemistry , organic chemistry , biology
The construction of a road, runway or other paved surface on the outcrop of an aquifer introduces an impermeable area into an otherwise permeable environment. Surface water must be drained from these areas, and the most convenient and inexpensive way of disposing of this water is usually to lead it into soakaways in the unsaturated zone of the aquifer. This approach is acceptable in that it can provide valuable recharge to aquifers in times of low rainfall. However, it carries the risk that pollutants from the surface can also be carried into the aquifer. These pollutants can be generated from (a) normal abrasion, (b) maintenance operations such as de‐icing and defoliation, and (c) accidental spillages. Although there is evidence that such drainage can carry a pollutant load, and that drainage entering soakaways can reach a public‐ supply well, there does not seems to be any evidence available at present of any public supply in the UK being seriously affected by such drainage.