Stormwater run-off and pollutant transport related to the activities carried out in a modern waste management park

Stormwater run-off from twelve different areas and roads has been character ized in a modern waste disposal site, where several waste management activi ties are carried out. Using nonparametric statistics, medians and confidenc e intervals of the medians, 22 stormwater quality parameters were calculate d. Suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, tot al nitrogen and total phosphorus, as well as run-off from several areas, sh owed measured values above standard limits for discharge into recipient wat ers - even higher than those of leachate from covered landfill cells. Of th e heavy metals analyzed, copper, zinc and nickel were the most prevalent, b eing detected in every sample. Higher concentrations of metals such as zinc , nickel, cobalt, iron and cadmium were found in run-off from composting ar eas, compared to areas containing stored and exposed scrap metal. This sugg ests that factors other than the total amount of exposed material affect th e concentration of metals in run-off such as binding to organic compounds a nd hydrological transport efficiency. The pollutants transported by stormwa ter represent a significant environmental threat, comparable to leachate. C areful design, monitoring and maintenance of stormwater run-off drainage sy stems and infiltration elements are needed if infiltration is to be used as an on-site treatment strategy.