Article citation information:
Beqaj, B. Assessing
the environmental impact of roadway’s construction on adjacent water
resources: a case study of the southern part of Albania. Scientific Journal of Silesian University of Technology. Series
Transport. 2022, 114, 5-13.
ISSN: 0209-3324. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20858/sjsutst.2022.114.1.
Blerina BEQAJ[1]
ASSESSING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ROADWAY’S CONSTRUCTION ON
ADJACENT WATER RESOURCES: A CASE STUDY OF THE SOUTHERN PART OF ALBANIA
Summary. Water is one
of nature’s resources. As urbanisation grows, new roadways and highways
are constructed for the transport sector and development. Due to roadway
infrastructure, the development of the quality of surface water bodies in close
proximity to roads is deteriorating and has become a major environmental
challenge. Considered as one of the major nonpoint pollution sources, the
construction of new roadways can have short and long-term effects on water
quality conditions. This study revealed that road construction activities may
be responsible for introducing pollutants in nearby water sources, leading to
the deterioration of water quality. The roadway expansion activities affect both
the surface and groundwater quality. Furthermore, this study was conducted to
assess the effects of a road construction project situated in the southern part
of Albania, on physic-chemical parameters of surface water by collecting water
samples from Skotini stream. The analysed parameters included pH, dissolved
oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand
(COD), electrical conductivity (ECw), total dissolved solids (TDS),
salinity, nitrites (NO2-), ammonium (NH4+)
and total phosphorus (Ptot). The results revealed that all
physic-chemical parameters analysed in the laboratory are between the normal
standards classifying these waters as very clean. Further surveillance for
quality assessment of water sources near roadway’s construction
activities is needed. Various best management practices have been developed and
implemented to prevent negative environmental impacts in the transport sector
and roadway construction activities. Results of the water quality help
strengthen the theory that roadway construction projects in the transport
sector, using appropriate best management practices, could yield minimal impact
on the overall water quality of surrounding water bodies.
Keywords: roadway
construction, transport sector, environmental impact assessment,
physic-chemical parameters
1. INTRODUCTION
While air pollution is the most visible and
studied environmental consequence of the transportation system, water pollution
issues are also of crucial importance in the transportation and environment
nexus. Fuel, particle, and salt-laden runoff from streets, highways, and
storage facilities damage public water supplies, ponds, lakes and surface
streams, roadside soil, vegetation and trees, infrastructure and vehicles.
Due to rapid anthropogenic activities as well
as industrialisation and urbanisation, water pollution has become one of the
most global threats to humankind. Increasing population, urbanisation and
modernisation in developing countries has created a significant risk on water
quality [1]. Especially, roadway construction activities are a significant
threat to both surface and groundwater quality [2]. The source of water quality
degradation near transport sector construction activities primarily includes
soil erosion, diesel and oil, construction debris and dirt on impervious road
surfaces [3].
The major pollutants loaded during the
construction of roads are propellants, lubricants, tannin, silicates, exhaust
gases produced by combustion of fuels, abrasive products, asphalt, ashes, dust
and organic bituminous compounds [4], contribute to road runoff that might
enter nearby surface water bodies, which in turn leads to degradation of
physical and chemical characteristics of water.
Pollutants reach adjacent water bodies through
both direct discharges by workers operating at the sites, as well as non-direct
discharges with the runoff water, leading to physical, chemical and biological
degradation of their quality [5-7].
As urbanisation advances, new roadways and
highways are constructed for transportation and development, and the stream
ecosystems within highway corridors are susceptible to impacts from
construction activities. Considered as one of the major nonpoint pollution
sources, the construction of new highways can have short- and long-term effects
on stream biotic and abiotic conditions [8]. These effects mainly resulted from
sedimentation, habitat degradation, changing of leaf processing, and inputs of
toxins from construction materials [9].
The roadway infrastructure causes measurable
impacts on the morphology of stream and river channels. It has been reported
that road construction projects and operational roads impose a remarkable
threat to the water quality. Based on data from long-term observation of water
bodies near such projects, it has been verified that there is a difference in
the water quality before and after the roadway construction. Impact of roadway
construction projects on natural water bodies in different countries showed
that construction activities pose a notable threat on the water quality.
The pH of water has been identified as a
chief factor in monitoring the water quality of different water bodies adjacent
to construction sites [10]. pH is an important parameter that explains the
acid-alkaline nature of water as it is considered an index for the degree of
pollution. Severe river pollution has occurred in some cases during road
construction [11].
Furthermore, it has been observed that
discharges arising from road construction can be serious enough to warrant the
implementation of control measures [12]. Similarly, loss of topsoil near the
construction site was observed mainly due to the acquisition of agricultural
land and construction dumps which also increased the levels of suspended
particulate matter (SPM) in the water [13].
The maintenance activities associated with
the roadways and the chemical spills along roads are an important source of
chemical pollutants along roadsides [14]. Some chemicals affect only the areas
nearest to the road itself, while other chemicals are transported via water to
greater distances from the road [15]. Toxic contaminants from roads enter water
bodies through stormwater runoff. The contaminants in run-off differ greatly in
size and magnitude, and include various hydrated ions and suspended matter.
Particles as sand, silt and clay on the road
and roadbed mostly adsorb heavy metals and organic compounds and a complex and
wide array of contaminants associated with vehicles are introduced to the
landscape through roadway runoff. Among them are hydrocarbons, asbestos, leads,
cadmium and copper. Moreover, chemicals related to the road itself or its
maintenance including pesticides, insecticides and deicing salts combine with
runoff and make their way into the stream water drainage system [16].
Highway construction in different watersheds
had statistically significant effects on major water quality parameters on
turbidity, total dissolved solids
(TDS), and total iron during construction, effects on chloride and sulfate
during and after construction, and effects on acidity and nitrate after
construction. Construction-impacted water quality parameters should be
considered for developing mitigation strategies and refining currently
implemented best management practices for future highway constructions in the
highlands region.
The nature of the interaction of roads with
aquatic systems depends on their location relative to the drainage network and
slope. The most damaging agent in aquatic habitats has been said to be siltation
and increasing nutrient loads, rather than by chemicals. Roads act both as a
source and a sink for water run-off from road surfaces and accumulation of
water. In addition, they can act as barriers to water flowing downhill, and
also expedite the removal of water as well. Road networks interact with stream
networks, increasing the stream drainage density, the overall peak flow in the
stream drainage, and the incidence of debris flows in the drainage basin [17].
Faster moving water enters the stream channels
increasing the energy of the stream system, eroding channel banks, scouring the
channel and increasing the likelihood of flooding downstream [18]. The effects
of roads and pollutants in water run-offs from roads to the aquatic ecosystems
have attracted increased attention, as these consequences may be both immediate
and long-lasting. Water run-off may alter hydrology, increase sediment load,
increase nutrients and result in the accumulation of many kinds of pollutants.
Proliferation in sediment load and changes in
stream flows resulting from logging activities have caused concerns due to the
removal of vegetation and exposure of the soil in a watershed, mass movement of
earth leads to overbank deposition in watersheds and also results in changes to
the morphology of streams, depositing in channels and creating shallower pools.
The shallowness of the pools, combined with the increased turbidity of the
water and less vegetated banks, raises the temperature of the water in the
streams.
Various best management practices have been
developed and implemented to prevent the environmental impacts of human
activities. For highway and urban pollution, vegetated buffers and mulches,
porous pavement materials, retention or detention basins and ponds, silt fence,
seeding, and natural riparian wetlands have been implemented as best management
practices to treat runoff and control soil erosion [19-22].
Best management practices (BMPs) are aimed at
mitigating chemical contaminants at the roadside and are geared towards reducing
the influx of particles into the surrounding landscape.
The efficacy of mitigation for chemical
toxicity associated with roadway runoff depends on the extent to which
contaminants associate themselves with particles that are removed by BMPs and
the potency of BMPs [23].
Refining BMPs for future roadway and highway
construction depends on a comprehensive understanding of environmental impacts
from current construction methods.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Assessment
of environmental impact is the process performed for the overall assessment of
significant adverse impacts, direct or indirect, by the project development.
The drafting of the environmental impact assessment and the structure of its
content are defined in the Albanian legislation.
The
evaluation method should identify all impacts that may be caused directly or
indirectly by the project implementation works. The determination of impacts
was carried out by a good research team of the technical project, which
predicted potential impacts that may arise during its various phases in the
environment and the assessment of environmental sensitivity. Many different
techniques have been developed to determine the methods of environmental
impacts, each of which is characterised by its strengths and weaknesses.
In this study, data collected in
different time periods at Skotini stream sites were used to assess the effects
of roadway construction on the water quality in this watershed.
In
this study, the matrix method, which is one of the most practiced methods, was
used for the assessment of environmental impacts. All activities were
identified based on the technical project from which impacts can be generated
and the respective environmental hosts that may be affected by the impact,
during the construction phase.
Effects of project development on
water resources quality near the study area have been evaluated for Skotini
stream according to the results of the water analysis carried out in the
laboratory. Water samples were collected and analysed in laboratories for pH,
dissolved oxygen (mg/l O2), biological oxygen demand (BOD5,
mg/l O2), chemical oxygen demand (COD, mg/l O2),
electrical conductivity (ECw, µs/cm), total dissolved solids
(TDS, mg/l), salinity (g/l), nitrites (NO2-, mg/l),
ammonium (NH4+, mg/l) and total phosphorus (Ptot,
mg/l).
The analysis procedures of standard
methods (APHA, ISO, SSH) were followed for these analyses.
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The study project area is
close to the Fushbardh area with a potential hydrographic. Specifically, the
area where the roadway and the tunnel pass is mainly affected by the basins of
the two main streams in the area; the Piksi stream in the northern part of the
study area and the Gulina stream in the southern part of the area (Figure 1).
The higher branches from
where these streams originate touch our area in relatively small parts. The
relief of this area is relatively mountainous. The mountains and the highest
peaks that surround this area are between 803 to 1592 m a.s.l. Generally, the
catchment area for both of these streams is partly rocky and bare and partly
vegetated. In this area is a water source where the largest amount of water
reaches the period of spring and early summer; then their flow decreases
considerably. Reduction of flow is generally conditioned by the height of their
location, which greatly limits the nutrient surface area of these sources.
Water supply of these
springs is through rain and snow. The study area is almost in a high water
content area because it is entirely limestone (Figure 2).
In the case of tributaries
of streams that affect this area, the surface runoff has some effect on the
amount of water in Skotini stream. During the rainy season, the amount of water
in these streams increases with the fall of the rains.
The project area is
situated in the Strict Nature Reserves and the buffer area has high natural
values. The whole project area is an area where no economic activities are
carried out. The quality of the environment is high, including surface water.
Fig. 1. Watershed of project
area
Fig. 2. Hydrographic map of the project
area
Surface water quality has
been monitored in laboratories located in the Albanian territory. For the
assessment of the quality of the water sampled from Skotini stream, the results
derived from the laboratory were compared with the limit values defined
according to the WHO standards (Table 1). All indicators measured in the
laboratory for the collected water samples from Skotini stream are between the normal
standards, classifying these waters as very clean.
One of the problems that
can be caused by road construction activities is the pollution of such surface
water by construction materials and generated waste. The technical report
envisages activities that avoid surface water pollution. One of these measures
is the construction of drainage of carriageways, which will include the
construction of layers with drainage material, filtration/drainage channels and
water supply from the side slopes, carriageways and other areas paved in
surface streams. Drainages will consist of channels, drainage pipes, grilles,
gravel/drainage with suitable granulometry for water filtration, etc.
Storage and disposal of
construction site chemicals such as oils, gasoline, degreasers, antifreeze,
concrete and asphalt products, sealers, paints, and wash water associated with
these products to minimise their entry into a runoff is so important.
One way to do this is to
define specific areas where these products are frequently used, such as
fuelling areas and equipment washing areas. This can help prevent dangerous
chemicals from entering adjacent surface waters. This measure also applies to
the proper storage of road deicing materials.
This study is mainly
focused on the effects of a roadway construction in the southern part of
Albania. Referring to previous studies, long-term monitoring is needed to
illustrate the subsequent impacts such as heavy metals, nutrients, and
hydrocarbons pollution from daily transportation [24, 25], chloride from
deicing [26], and subsequent urbanisation [27, 28].
Tab. 1.
Results of
the analysis of water samples from Skotini stream
|
Indicators |
Method of measurement |
Unit |
Result |
WHO standard |
|
pH |
ISO 10523:2008 |
|
7.54 |
6.5-8.5 |
|
Dissolved oxygen (O2) |
ISO 5814:2012 |
mg/l O2 |
5.87 |
6 |
|
Chemical oxygen demand (COD) |
SSH ISO 15705:2002 |
mg/l O2 |
10.01 |
10 |
|
Biological oxygen demand (BOD5) |
SSH EN 5815-2:2009 |
mg/l O2 |
1.9 |
50 |
|
Electrical conductivity (ECw) |
ISO 7888:1985 |
µs/cm |
745 |
1000 |
|
Total dissolved solids (TDS) |
APHA 2540 B:2017 |
mg/l |
273 |
500-1000 |
|
Salinity |
APHA 2540 B:2017 |
g/l |
0.22 |
0.5-1 |
|
Nitrite(NO2-) |
ISO 11905-1:1197 |
mg/l |
0.05 |
3 |
|
Ammonium (NH4+) |
ISO 7150-1:1984 |
mg/l |
0.10 |
0.5 |
|
Total phosphorus (Ptot) |
ISO 6878:2004 |
mg/l |
< 0.05 |
0.05 |
Laying materials for
coating layers should be done mostly by hand. During the realisation of
concrete gutters, in the procedure of its pouring, the placement of a thin
final layer can be included, using for this purpose, a sliding mould. For the
implementation of asphalt-concrete works, for the coating layer of the gutters
and the protection of the end part of the ditches or curved channels, measures
should be taken so that the water continues to flow away from the body of the
road and not be obstructed by the asphalt edges.
The removal of water from
road construction can be realised through the drainage network of the
carriageway, from where the water is sent to the permanent drainage network.
This could be done through pipes and culverts, carrying out the relevant
earthworks as above.
An activity that may affect
surface water quality is the discharge of groundwater generated by excavations
for tunnel openings. Water veins may be encountered during the excavation of
the tunnel opening. If this is the case, the groundwater should be collected,
analysed using physic-chemical parameters, and then discharged outside the
protected area.
The movement of heavy tonnage vehicles should be within
open access to other lots. Any accidental spillage of hydrocarbons that may
occur on the track will be fully manageable. Based on the above analysis,
during the development of the project, the quality of surface water will not be
affected. Further monitoring of surface water in the project area should be
carried out as the results help strengthen the theory that construction
projects using appropriate BMP could yield minimal impact on the water quality
of adjacent water bodies.
4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This study focuses on the
effects of roadway construction, with a case study of the southern part of
Albania. It revealed that most of the physic-chemical parameters analysed are
within the permissible limit. Previous studies indicate that the water quality
of surface water bodies in close proximity to roads may deteriorate due to
highway expansion activities in the transport sector if mitigation measures are
not taken.
The construction operator must implement mitigation
measures that are related to avoiding impacts on surface water and groundwater.
In any case, accidental fuel spills should be removed immediately. Due to the
relief of the project area, the accumulation of soil in those places where
streams are created should be avoided.
The polluted water in the tunnel mainly derives from the
water processed in the wells drilled in the rock, during the opening, and to a
lesser extent, is the dirty water of the rocks, which is added during the rain
periods. These waters enter the canal that leads to the portals, where they are
collected in special wells. Here, the water will be separated from the
oil/fuel, and then discharged into the environment, while the oil/fuel will be
collected separately. If necessary, the part of the purified water can be used
again for drilling processes in the tunnel.
Roadway construction has significant effects on major
water quality parameters such as turbidity, TSS, and total iron during
construction, effects on chloride and sulfate during and after construction,
and effects on acidity and nitrate after construction. Water quality parameters
that are impacted by construction works should be considered for developing
mitigation strategies and refining currently implemented best management
practices for future highway constructions in the highlands region.
Periodic monitoring of surface water in the project area
should be carried out. These results helped to strengthen the theory that
construction projects using appropriate best management practices could yield
minimal impact on the overall water quality of surrounding water bodies.
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Received 20.09.2021; accepted in
revised form 28.11.2021
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