Nutrient contribution of leaf litter in urban stormwater

This paper investigates the nutrient contribution from leaf litter in urban waterways, using data from a gross pollutant monitoring programme in a 50 ha catchment in an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The data indicate that the potential nutrient contribution of stormwater leaf litter (greater than 5 mm) is about two orders of magnitude smaller than the typical nutrient loads in urban stormwater. The results suggest that removing leaf litter from urban waterways will do little to reduce the total stormwater nutrient load.1998 Academic Press