TEMPORAL DEPOSITION OF ANTHROPOGENIC POLLUTANTS IN URBAN SNOW AS GENERATED BY TRAFFIC

Urban roadway snow is impacted by traffic activities and winter maintenance practices that result in significant accretion of dissolved, colloidal and suspended solids. Urban snow has a much greater capacity to accumulate these traffic pollutants as compared to storm water runoff due to longer residence times and the porous matrix. This study involves the assessment of pollutant characteristics of urban snow from a series of highway sites in urban Cincinnati, Ohio. The majority of the metals is particulate-bound and increases specifically when the snow ceases and traffic increases. Characterization of these pollutants in this complex heterogeneous snow matrix can contribute to an effective treatment strategy.