Road run-off is really nasty and it goes straight into our rivers. National Highways should be doing more to prevent this and the Environment Agency should be making sure that they do (EA is currently giving NH a free pass on the issue)
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Hadn't heard this one before. What could practically be done with rain falling onto the road network (1000s of miles?) They can't divert highway stormwater into existing sewage treatment works, everyone is trying to stop stormwater overflows. They can't build lots of new treatment works, ponds etc?
sep 3, 2025, 12:16 pm • 0 0 • view
I distantly remember this from university (we visited the newly-built but unopened A55); there should basically be balancing ponds and French drains to deal with all but the heaviest rainfall. Effectively the ground filters the nasties
sep 3, 2025, 5:20 pm • 0 0 • view
Yes, our house drains are like that too. Needs a lot of land tho, we have pond drainage rights under a neighbours' field! Is great where it exists, but problem is (maybe?) where it doesn't yet and drains go into rivers? Difficult to retrospectively take land alongside 1000s miles of roads to add?
sep 3, 2025, 7:05 pm • 1 0 • view
I suppose the starting point is the existing ponds and decontamination.
sep 3, 2025, 12:39 pm • 0 0 • view
Maybe, tho that's only a teeny tiny % of road miles? A drain pond is a habitat, plants and animals slowly establish in it which are legally protected and are important for cleaning the water. They can't just go and excavator that all out, and often they work better without drastic actions anyway.
sep 3, 2025, 2:49 pm • 0 0 • view