Managing Highway Stormwater Quality. Driving Progress (en Inglés) - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine;Center for Health, People, and Places;Transportation Research Board;Earth Systems and Resources Program;Consensus and Advisory Studies Division;Committee on the Review of Approaches for Managing Po

Our roads are both a source of and a conveyance system for pollutants to bodies of water via stormwater runoff. TRB Special Report 360: Managing Highway Stormwater Quality: Driving Progress focuses on engineering and infrastructure strategies to support state departments of transportation (DOT) decision-making regarding stormwater management approaches to comply with regulations. Administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state permitting authorities identify each water body that does not meet a water quality standard due to pollutants.

Updated modeling options that account for different land uses can better enable state DOT decision makers. Acknowledging the difference in pollutants that originate from highways (such as tire and brake wear contaminants) and pollutants that do not but are conveyed to water bodies (such as nutrients and bacteria from adjacent land) may improve source control.

The report also identifies areas for collaboration between state DOTs, EPA, and Federal Highway Administration officials along with state environmental authorities. These partnerships could result in improved design, construction, and maintenance procedures and guidance. Participation in alternative watershed-scale approaches for managing highway stormwater may also result in practical and desirable outcomes.