In Portugal, there is insufficient data concerning road runoff characterization to identify the most important explanatory variables to predict pollutant concentrations. Nevertheless, there is the need for a simple methodology to predict road runoff pollutants, for use by road project designers and national services in charge of water management.
Based on literature results a set of five independent variables, proved to explain site concentrations on road runoff constituents, have been selected. Using data for six Portuguese road sites, a multiple linear equation and its coefficients, named the PREQUALE, was established to predict total suspended solid (TSS), Zn, Cu, and Pb average concentrations in road runoff. The predictions obtained were very close to the observed concentrations; therefore, the PREQUALE will significantly improve the present practice in Portugal. This tool should be improved in the near future with the acquisition of more information concerning road runoff characterization in Portugal.
The approach followed by this study may be useful for other countries that have not yet much data but need to establish a simple way of predicting road runoff pollutants.
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Barbosa, A.E. (2007). Establishing a procedure to predict highway runoff quality in Portugal. In: Morrison, G.M., Rauch, S. (eds) Highway and Urban Environment. Alliance For Global Sustainability Bookseries, vol 12. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6010-6_33
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