Diffuse urban oil pollution in the UK

Abstract

The diffuse discharge of oil and hydrocarbons to urban receiving waters constitutes a major pollution source being responsible for up to 17% of all reported water pollution incidents in the UK. Commercial/industrial premises and heavily-trafficked highways are the major culprits, with about 20,000 – 24,000 tonnes of oil per annum finding its way to urban receiving waters. Treatment source costs are much greater than can be economically recovered from prosecutions and the efficiency of traditional oil control and separation techniques is questionable. Alternative source control approaches are advocated together with more intensive and comprehensive in-house pollution prevention, improved employee training and proper vigilant supervision as well as enhanced drainage controls for highway discharges.

Keywords:

• Diffuse urban runoff
• Oil and hydrocarbon pollution
• Urban oil sources
• Spillages
• Economic impacts

Disclaimer and acknowledgements

The views expressed in this paper are strictly those of the authors and not the organisations they represent. The authors would like to thank colleagues in SEPA (especially Brian D'Arcy, David Campbell and Jim Pritchard) and the Environment Agency (Nigel Marshall, Anna Wilby and Huw Williams) for their help during the preparation of this article.