Abstract
Based on a typical residential area, this paper studies the characteristics of pollutant concentration changes in two rainfall runoffs and the first flush effect of rainfall. In rainfall runoff, the concentrations of seven pollutants (CODMn, TN, DTN, NH3-N, TP, DTP, and PO43−) increased during the initial rainfall period and decreased in the later period. Rainfall causes the erosion of pollutants on the underlying surface so that water pollution begins when rainfall runoff occurs, and the pollution level drops over time. The seven pollutants all experience this first flush effect, of which, rainfall has the strongest scouring effect on NH3-N produced by domestic sewage. The significant excess of pollutants in rainfall runoff should be considered by management departments. In addition, the existence of the first flush effect makes it possible in theory to partially intercept rainfall runoff to control water pollution, thereby reducing the cost of pollution control.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported the Science and Technology Research Project of Education Department of Hubei Province, China (Grant Nos. Q20182502, D20152503), the Provincial Natural Science Research Foundation of Colleges and Universities in Anhui Province, China (Grant No. KJ2019A0667), the Excellent Young Talents Fund Program of Higher Education Institutions of Anhui Province, China (Grant No. gxyqZD2020047).
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Xu, J., Wu, X., Ge, X. et al. Variations of Concentration Characteristics of Rainfall Runoff Pollutants in Typical Urban Living Areas. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 106, 608–613 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-021-03110-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-021-03110-0