Environmental impacts and best management of urban stormwater runoff: measures and legislative framework

Urban stormwater runoff constitutes a non-point source pollution, which contributes in degradation of water bodies’ quality (USEPA, 2002). European Union’s environmental policy includes water environment protection and preservation by adopting a series of directives, 2000/60/EC (Water Framework Directive - WFD), 97/11/EEC (Environmental Impact Assessment Directive - EIA), 2001/42/EC (Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive - SEAD) and many others. However, such legislative framework is not strongly related to the issue of urban stormwater runoff management, due to its general content. Pollution control of urban stormwater runoff entails a management strategy based on scientific research and reliable available data. Consequently, the subject of prevention and control of urban stormwater runoff remains still open and it is a motivation for further research and discussion; it also underlines the need to propose detailed specifications both for environmental impact assessment, as well as for the proper formation of a data-base. Thus, within the content of the present paper, the following are included: a) the investigation and presentation of the receiving waters pollution issues from the urban stormwater runoff, b) the examination of the respective pollutant generation and characteristics, c) the presentation of their impacts d) the examination of the measures (structural and non-structural BMPs) f) the presentation of the existing legislation in the EU and Greece. Finally, specific measures, which authorities must take into account in the framework of the programs for runoff river basin management, according to the 2000/60 EC Directive and the Greek Law 3199/2003, are proposed.