Oil and Grease in Urban Stormwaters

A study of oil and grease in urban stormwaters was performed on a small watershed in Richmond, Calif., with the objective of determining the amount of oil and grease discharged into San Francisco Bay. Five sampling stations were selected at various places in the watershed that were indicative of specific land uses, and runoff from seven storms was sampled and analyzed. The results of the survey indicated that oil and grease concentration was highly dependent upon land use, ranging from 4.1 mg/L in residential areas to 15.3 mg/L in parking lots. A statistical analysis of oil and grease and storm characteristics showed that oil and grease concentration was independent of all storm characteristics, except that mass of oil and grease discharged was proportional to total rainfall. Qualitative analysis of the oil and grease by gas chromatography indicated that it most resembled used automobile crankcase oil. Several samples showed evidence of spills of specific compounds. A simulation of management techniques indicated that a 90% reduction in discharge from commercial properties and parking lots, which represented only 9.6% of the total surface area, would result in a 53% reduction in total oil and grease discharge. Growth simulation predicted a potential 27% increase in discharge if 5% of the watershed were converted from open land to commercial property.