News

Rainwater, as it flows over urban surfaces (such as roads, rooftops, or recreational areas), carries with it numerous pollutants that have accumulated in these areas. If left untreated, these pollutants are discharged into aquatic ecosystems.

On April 9th, 2025, a meeting took place at ICRA between the teams of the CityPoll and NINFA projects, led by ICRA and LEITAT respectively.

We are delighted to announce the publication of our new article: “Pollutants in urban runoff: Scientific evidence on toxicity and impacts on freshwater ecosystems” in the journal Chemosphere.

We are pleased to announce the conference “Urban runoff pollutants: Occurrence and impacts on freshwater ecosystems, and mitigation strategies”, which will be held on June 12 and 13, 2025, in Donostia-San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain, organized within the framework of the CityPoll project.

Postdoctoral researcher Isabel Cadena recently attended the 28th International Symposium on Separation Sciences (ISSS 2024), where she presented her latest findings on urban runoff and its impact on freshwater ecosystems, as part of the CityPoll Project.

We are pleased to announce that you can now access the full video explaining the CityPoll project! To make it easier for everyone to understand, we have made the video available in four languages: English, Spanish, Catalan, and Basque.

Urban runoff carries contaminants from roofs, roads, and soils into streams, affecting ecosystem biodiversity and functioning, particularly during rainfall and after dry periods. To examine these effects, urban first flush samples were collected during rainfall and tested on freshwater biofilms.

Urban streams are exposed to pollution from stormwater runoff, which carries various pollutants like oils, heavy metals, and pet waste. What is more, prolonged dry periods and extreme weather events facilitate the mobilization of these pollutants.

Increasing urbanization has led to contaminants being washed into freshwater ecosystems through stormwater runoff. Additionally, prolonged dry periods and extreme weather events facilitate the mobilization of these pollutants.

In a recent episode of the EITB (Basque Public Television) program “Teknopolis,” an important topic was discussed regarding the quality of rainwater. Often considered a natural and pure source, rainwater carries a variety of contaminants and particles from exposed surfaces such as roads, roofs, and gutters, which flow directly into rivers, potentially impacting river ecosystems.