Impacts of stormwater drains on river pollution and the role of stormwater retention pond in mitigation

A multi-year monitoring study assessed the effluent quality of rivers, storm drains, andstormwater detention ponds within the River Ouseburn catchment and Great Park catchment inNewcastle upon Tyne, UK. Pollutant concentrations and loads in rivers and storm drains, andthe treatment efficiency of stormwater detention ponds, were analysed to identify the mainsources of pollutants and threats to the good chemical and microbial quality of the river. Themajor findings are: stormwater is a contributing factor to the deterioration of river water quality.The implementation of green infrastructure can mitigate this impact by removing pollutantsfrom stormwater runoff.