Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Urban Runoff

Urban runoff is the surface water generated in developed areas when rainfall and snowmelt flow over impervious surfaces such as roofs, roads, parking lots, and pavements rather than infiltrating into the ground. Because these hardened surfaces prevent absorption, urban runoff tends to be rapid and high in volume, an…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 2 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 11× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2691-3208 🗓 Reviewed June 2026

Overview

Urban runoff is the surface water generated in developed areas when rainfall and snowmelt flow over impervious surfaces such as roofs, roads, parking lots, and pavements rather than infiltrating into the ground. Because these hardened surfaces prevent absorption, urban runoff tends to be rapid and high in volume, and it can collect and transport a wide range of pollutants, including sediments, nutrients, hydrocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, and pathogens, before discharging into storm drains, streams, lakes, and other receiving waters. This non-point-source pollution can degrade water quality, alter stream flow and temperature, and disturb aquatic habitats and biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems. The intensity and pollutant load of urban runoff are influenced by factors such as the proportion of impervious cover, land use, rainfall intensity, and the presence or absence of drainage and treatment systems. Managing urban runoff is a central concern of limnology and water-resource management, drawing on stormwater controls, retention and detention basins, green infrastructure, and ongoing monitoring of receiving water bodies to limit pollutant transport and protect aquatic life. Because runoff is a diffuse, non-point source, its control often depends on watershed-scale planning rather than treatment at a single outflow. This page gathers peer-reviewed, open-access research relevant to limnology and the study of inland waters and their environmental quality.

Research published in this journal

2 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 2 articles above have been cited 11 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Urban Runoff, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in International Journal of Limnology (ISSN 2691-3208).

Journal editorial board
Anna Maria Gozdziejewska · Poland

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.