Management of gully pots for optimum runoff quality (R183)

Gully pots act as runoff points to surface water sewers, combined sewers and highway drains. Their main purpose is to intercept solid material that would otherwise cause blockages in the sewerage system. They also act as water seals to prevent the escape of odour from combined sewers. But gully pots can have a detrimental effect on water quality since they provide a reservoir of contaminated sediment and a source of polluted liquor which can be flushed into sewers and watercourses during routine maintenance or intense summer storms. This book recommends best management practice to minimise these detrimental effects. Following a review of potential problems, the legal position and water quality issues, it sets out guidance for those responsible for installing and maintaining gully pots. It concludes that improved designs of gully that retain more sediment would offer significant benefits in reducing pollutant discharge. Key words: pollution prevention, urban drainage, sewerage, transport infrastructure.

ISBN: 978-0-86017-490-5

Author: M Osborne, D Butler, P Clarke and F Memon

Number of pages: 36 (paperback)

Publisher: CIRIA

Date of Publication: January 1998