Application of Permeable Pavements in Highways and Urban Roads. Policy Brief.

摘要

Under current provision of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the amended National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) all communities with populations of 10,000 or more, which includes nearly all jurisdictions in the United States, are required to regulate and control the discharge of urban stormwater into receiving water bodies. All dischargers are also required to comply with the total maximum daily load (TMDL), which is the total amount of pollutant mass a receiving water body can receive and still meet water quality standards. If water quality standards are not met, then the water body is classified as impaired. Currently, California alone has over 7,000 impaired water bodies with identified sources of pollution that require the establishment of TMDL limitations. About 900 of the identified impaired water bodies are directly linked with organic and inorganic pollution originated from urban surfaces. The CWA and related regulatory compliances and societal demands for clean water have exerted a tremendous amount of pressure on stormwater runoff dischargers throughout the United States to develop innovative stormwater treatment and management strategies.