Stormwater Runoff Impact, Risk Analysis and Emergency Management on an Italian Highway

The aim of this study is to address the issue of rainwater runoff from highways, through quality characterization of runoff and the analysis of its environmental impact. Being linear pollution sources, highways determine a chronic impact on stormwater, due to continuous leaching from atmosphere and pavement surface to receiving water bodies or groundwater. Not normally provided with a drainage network, stormwater from highways are often discharged without any kind of treatment. Acute impacts due to accidentrelated spills and leakages exert a negative environmental effect, which was not considered in the past, and are also difficult to predict, manage and control. A deep investigation was conducted to become aware of treatment options applied worldwide. As a result of the research activity on the problem and its possible solutions, an innovative approach designed for the 95-km-long Italian highway ‘Superstrada Pedemontana Veneta’ will be discussed. The system consists of a combination of a treatment system and an emergency system to manage contemporarily acute and chronic impacts. The treatment facility exploits a continuous filtration process, while the emergency device consists of a monitoring system to detect exceptional loads and a storage basin. The system allows managing up to 94% of accidental events.