Stormwater quality assessment and management for the town of Jasper in Alberta, Canada

Abstract

Stormwater pollutants can have deleterious impacts on the aquatic life of receiving water bodies. This paper presents the findings of a stormwater quality monitoring program performed in the town of Jasper in Alberta, Canada. This is one of the very few studies done on a small urban settlement to identify key pollutants of concern, characterize stormwater and identify unique pollutant sources in the town. A total of 14 stormwater quality parameters were found to be of high concern to aquatic life. The most prominent pollutants were total suspended solids (TSS), metals and phosphorus which compared well with studies conducted in large urban settlements. Tourist influx contributed to high metal and petroleum hydrocarbon loads during the peak season due to high vehicular activity. Elk were found to reside in the town during summer and their fecal droppings resulted in elevated fecal coliform concentrations. It was found that winter road salting was responsible for excessive chloride concentrations observed during the spring melt. TSS concentrations were statistically correlated with various metals as well as phosphorus using Spearman's rank correlation. It was found that the current street sweeping schedule in the town coincided with lower TSS and metal loads in stormwater.