Preliminary study of removal of gross pollutants from stormwater in Gladstone city

Pollutants carried by urban stormwater runoff are considered a significant contributor to the degradation of receiving waters. Gross pollutants are targeted firstly for removal and many structural measures have been applied with varying results. Gladstone stormwater sewers discharge into Port Curtis and quality of discharge water plays an important role. Based on 41 years of rainfall data for Gladstone, statistical analysis shows several wet periods in the past and since 1994 it has been a continuous dry period. Before the next wet period starts the problem of stormwater management needs to be discussed. One of the options of trapping gross pollutants could be to block them before entering pits. Option of blocking entrance to a kerb pit with a brush was initially investigated. The results show that the flow entering a kerb pit is reduced to 55 – 60 % of the entering flow without a brush. The efficiency of proposed solution requires more study, and field tests in Gladstone will be planned.