Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques 2015, Volume 4, Issue 4, Pages: 170-172

170

Controlling Stormwater Runoff Pollution Best Practices of Green

Highway Developments

Muhd Zaimi Abd Majid

, Yao Bigah

, Ali Keyvanfar

, Arezou Shafaghat

*, Jahangir Mirza

, Hesam Kamyab

1- Construction Research Center (CRC), Institute for Smart Infrastructure and Innovative Construction (ISIIC), Department

of Structures and Materials, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, 81310, Malaysia

2- Institute of Environmental and Water Resource Management (IPASA), Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti

Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, 81310, Malaysia

Received: 11/010/2015 Accepted: 28/11/2015 Published: 30/12/2015

1- Introduction

Green highway development is a new concept which

emerged last decade in developed countries. It steers

toward construction and implementation of sustainable

highways to minimize and control the environmental

impact, while aiming to boost social and economic

suitability. Bryce [1] suggested that green highways

should embrace more sustainable practices and maximize

the highway lifetime than current construction

technology and put forth watershed-driven stormwater

runoff management. Several attempts have been made in

developed countries to set green highway features in

order to protect natural water resources [1-4].

Among the objectives stated in Malaysian’s 10th

Master Plan 2011-2015 [5] reducing water resources

pollution and providing quality water to an urban

population that is expected to grow over 70% of the total

population, is a major concern of the government.

Furthermore, develop a long-term strategy for water

resource management is a priority in Malaysia where

more than 90% of water supply is from rivers and lakes.

As a matter of fact, highway/roads have been identified

as potential threat sources to water quality, and

developed countries are moving forward in curbing

highway-related water pollution through the

establishment of highway assessment framework. With

regard to the growing impetus of sustainable culture

along with the Low Impact Development (LID), the

study aimed to investigate the Best Management

Practices (BMPs) on prevention and control of highway

Stormwater runoff pollution.

Highway development Best Management Practices

(BMPs) techniques are environmentally sensitive designs

which tend to generate less runoff, promoting infiltration

and reducing runoff from developed areas. The variety of

techniques used, non- structural and structural

techniques, are economical and flexible [6]. New Jersey

Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual [7]

states the impossibility of sole non-structural practices to

fulfill Stormwater runoff regulations is. LID is anchored

in the concept that Stormwater must not be considered as

a waste to quickly be discharged and that opportunities in

Corresponding author: Arezou Shafaghat, Construction

Research Center (CRC), Institute for Smart

Infrastructure and Innovative Construction (ISIIC),

Department of Structures and Materials, Faculty of Civil

Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai,

Johor, 81310, Malaysia. E-mail: arezou@utm.my.

developed lands must be used to control runoff closed to

their sources as possible (US NRDC, 2011).

2- Structural Best Management Practices

Structural BMPs can be sorted in many ways;

Georgia Stormwater Management Manual- GSWMM [8]

distinguishes two categories of structural BMPs, namely

those of general application and the ones with limited

application, while NJ-SWBMP [7] classifies them by

functionality. Most of the structural BMPs are

determined by the site control requirements and

guideline. Hence, in this paper the functional

classification is adopted. Stormwater management

techniques are:

a. Rain Gardens/Bioretention and

Bioswales/Vegetated Swales

b. Vegetated/Grassed Filter Strip: It can effectively

aid to remove pollutants from the overland flow

c. Permeable Pavement adapted with infiltration flat

d. Constructed Filter

e. Wet Ponds/Retention Basins

f. Detention Basins

g. Constructed Wetland

h. Buffer Strip

3- Non-Structural Best Management

Practices

NJ SWBMP [7] classifies non-structural practices to:

time of concentration modifications, minimizing land

disturbance, vegetation and landscaping, and impervious

area management.

a. Time of Concentration Modifications: NJ SWBMP

[7] identifies three factors influencing the time of

concentration (Tc) of the runoff, that is, the surface

roughness, the slope, and the type of conveyance of the

runoff. To increase the Tc and hence minimize peak

flow, care must be taken, to reduce surface roughness

changes to reduce the sheet flow slope (decrease the

slope and increase the flow length using terraces to

provide additional travel time and reduced slope

channels), and to use vegetated conveyance such as

channels and swales, grade stabilization structures [7].

b. Minimization of Land Disturbance: The

apportionment of land use is one main factor influencing

pollutants load in Stormwater runoff; subdivision of land

use can help prevent drinking water contamination and

ground water recharge [9]. Identify and assess site

constraints such us slope, soil type, drainage area,

wetland, floodplain, in order to minimize site clearing,

Journal weblink: http://www.jett.dormaj.com

J. Environ. Treat. Tech.

ISSN: 2309-1185

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques 2015, Volume 4, Issue 4, Pages: 170-172

171

grading and other land disturbance by fitting the project

into the site instead of the reverse case [7].

c. Vegetation and Landscaping: Preservation of

Natural Areas; Areas such as forests, riparian corridors,

and high groundwater or aquifer recharge capabilities

must be preserved and specified measure should be taken

to ensure that such areas will remain preserved in the

future. Native Ground Cover; The practices here include,

the minimization of site disturbance, lawn and grass

areas, and r-vegetate disturbed areas using essentially

native plants. Vegetative filters and Buffers.

d. Impervious Area Management: According to NJ

SWBMP [7] an indicator of stream health in a watershed

is cited by several studies as impervious areas. To control

Stormwater runoff pollution, the use to the maximum

extent possible of pervious materials within parking

spaces, driveways, access roadways, sidewalks to

disconnect impervious areas from one another is the goal

to attain [7].

Reduce runoff and associated pollutants to adjacent

Reduce thermal impacts in reducing the quantities of

pollutants in typical water resources by allowing

infiltration of surface highway runoff that are discharged

into adjacent water resources. The water, filtration of

pollutants, or other methods to treat pollutants include

sediment, oil and grease, chemicals such as deicing salts

stormwater runoff, and pesticides, litter and trash, and

metals. In this regards, Table 1 identifies the Synopsis of

BMPs, their function, potential applications and

efficiency in pollutants removal.

A structured fixed format self-reporting

questionnaire form was designed based on 5-point likert

scale (1: strongly disagree, to, 5: strongly agree) to

obtain the agreement level of respondents from 22

companies and 109 consultants in highway engineering.

The research has applied the Average Index method

(developed by Abd Majid and McCaffer [10]) which

provides means of validation of a criterion. The Average

or the Mean Index of a criterion is evaluated using the

following Equation:

Average/Mean Index =

∑

Where, a = constant, weighing factor for i, {i = 1, 2,

3.........n}, Xi = frequency of respondent. The analysis

result shows that respondents have agreed to the

combination of both nonstructural and structural BMPs

to control SWRQ as each of them scores higher than 3.5

average indexes. Specifically, the non-structured scores

3.78 while the structured is agreed at 3.77 level.

According to Table 1, most significant elements are

vegetation and landscaping, Runoff Quality/Peak Rate

BMPs, and minimize land disturbance which score

respectively (3.88; 3.85; and 3.83). On the other hand,

the less significant elements are identified as impervious

area management, restoration BMPs, and time of

concentration modifications which have the same

average index of 3.71.

Table 1: Average Index value analysis result of Best Management Practices

BMPs

Average Index

value

Vegetation and Landscaping (use native Ground Cover, Vegetative filters and Buffers)

3.88

Runoff Quality Rate

3.85

Minimize Land Disturbance (minimize site clearing and grading by fitting the project into the site)

3.83

Volume or peak reduction through filtration (Bio retention Trench, Vegetated Swale, Vegetated Filter Strip, Constructed Filter, etc.)

3.75

Impervious Area Management (reduce impervious surfaces and disconnect them from one another)

3.71

Restoration

3.71

Time of concentration modifications

3.71

The runoff quality/peak rate BMPs is the only

structural BMPs to figure within the significant BMPs

capable of controlling runoff quality while two of the

non-structural BMPs are found significant for it. It is

therefore important during highway planning stage to

properly locate those structural BMPs which are runoff

quality/peak rate discharge structure so that they

efficiently fulfill the purpose of their existence. Their

efficiency depends on their capability to remove

pollutants from the runoff. Consequently they need to be

monitored and maintained to preserve their acceptable

level of functionality. This result is very significant and

consistent with the green highway criterion,

instrumentation and monitoring of storm water runoff

which is found significant. This result infers that instead

of directly discharging SWR into sanitary sewer systems,

it must be retained and treated using appropriate BMPs

to remove pollutants from it.

Regarding the significant non-structural BMPs

identified the non-structural practices will restrict the

hydromodification effect of highway on the SWRQ.

BMPs that can enable better control of SWRQ are

identified as a combination of non-structural and

structural BMPs which are equally important and include

from the most significant to the less significant:

a. Vegetation and Landscaping (use native

Ground Cover, Vegetative filters and Buffers);

b. Minimize Land Disturbance

The outcome of this study will provide, respective of

Malaysian environment, requirements against which

highway performance can be measured and consequently

provide means to construct highway development toward

more sustainable practices. According to mentioned

issues and problems, the current study aimed to identify

Best Management Practices (BMPs) that can achieve a

better quality of Stormwater runoff.

The following made for future studies:

 Determine the specific needs from water

resources of various watershed in Malaysia in

order to design appropriate stormwater plan for

various zones;

 Include a stormwater management plan as a

priority into the development of all areas since

the primary development stage in order to

efficiently management the post development;

 Non-point source pollution discharge which has

been neglected over century by statutorily

regulations should be considered for better

control of storm pollution;

 Monitoring and instrumentation of runoff is

primordial to achieve better control.

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques 2015, Volume 4, Issue 4, Pages: 170-172

172

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the PAS grants vote

no. Q.J130000.2709.01K40 and Q.J130000.2709.01K41,

and GUP grants vote no. Q.J130000.2609.11J04 and

Q.J130000.2609.10J8, and MOSTI grant vote no. 4S123.

Also, the authors appreciate these organizations for their

support and contributions, TNCPI, and Research

Management Center at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

References

1- M.J. Bryce, (2008). Developing Sustainable

Transportation Infrastructure ASTM, WISE

Internship, University of Missouri, Washington.

2- Greenroads Rating System v1.0 (2010). The

University of Washington, Washington D.C. USA.

3- Illinois - Livable and Sustainable Transportation v.

1.01, Rating System and Guide (I-LAST, 2010).

Division of Highway, Illinois Department of

Transportation, Illinois.

4- Envision v2.0, (2012). A Rating System for

Sustainable Infrastructure. Institute for Sustainable

Infrastructure, University of Harvard, Washington D.

5- 10th Malaysian Master Plan 2010-2020,

https://www.pmo.gov.my/dokumenattached/RMK/R

MK10_Eds.pdf

6- US. NRDC (2011). After the Storm: How Green

Infrastructure Can Effectively Manage Stormwater

Runoff from Roads and Highways. Natural

Resources Defense Council, USA.

http://www.nrdc.org/water/files/afterthestorm.pdf

7- New Jersey Stormwater Best Management Practices

Manual (NJ-SWBMP, 2006). Chapter 6, Structural

BMPs.

8- S.M. Haubner, (2001). Georgia Stormwater

Management Manual (GSWMM).

9- US EPA, (2001) Managing Storm Water Runoff to

Prevent Contamination of Drinking Water. Office of

Water.

10- M.A. Majid, R. McCaffer, R. (1997). Assessment of

Work Performance of Maintenance Contractors in

Saudi Arabia. Journal of management in

Engineering, 13(5): 91-91.