Controlling Stormwater Runoff Pollution Best Practices of Green Highway Developments

Green highway development is a new concept which emerged last decade in developed countries. It steers toward construction and implementation of sustainable highways to minimize and control the environmental impact, while aiming to boost social and economic suitability. Bryce [1] suggested that green highways should embrace more sustainable practices and maximize the highway lifetime than current construction technology and put forth watershed-driven stormwater runoff management. Several attempts have been made in developed countries to set green highway features in order to protect natural water resources [1-4].Among the objectives stated in Malaysian’s 10th Master Plan 2011-2015 [5] reducing water resources pollution and providing quality water to an urban population that is expected to grow over 70% of the total population, is a major concern of the government. Furthermore, develop a long-term strategy for water resource management is a priority in Malaysia where more than 90% of water supply is from rivers and lakes. As a matter of fact, highway/roads have been identified as potential threat sources to water quality, and developed countries are moving forward in curbing highway-related water pollution through the establishment of highway assessment framework. With regard to the growing impetus of sustainable culture along with the Low Impact Development (LID), the study aimed to investigate the Best Management Practices (BMPs) on prevention and control of highway Stormwater runoff pollution.Highway development Best Management Practices (BMPs) techniques are environmentally sensitive designs which tend to generate less runoff, promoting infiltration and reducing runoff from developed areas. The variety of techniques used, non- structural and structural techniques, are economical and flexible [6]. New Jersey Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual [7] states the impossibility of sole non-structural practices to fulfill Stormwater runoff regulations is. LID is anchored in the concept that Stormwater must not be considered as a waste to quickly be discharged and that opportunities in developed lands must be used to control runoff closed to their sources as possible (US NRDC, 2011).