Neil M.P. Higgins

TL;DR: In this paper, the long-term performance of a constructed wetland treating highway runoff has been studied with respect to heavy metal removal in a temperate, maritime Irish climate, and the accumulation of heavy metals in both the sediment and the plants growing in the wetland have been quantified over a 6 year period of operation as well as the spatial distribution of the metals’ deposition.

TL;DR: This study has demonstrated that runoff from Irish motorways was not any cleaner than in the UK although the traffic volume at the monitored sites was relatively smaller, and calls for a site specific investigation of highway runoff quality before adopting a given management strategy.

TL;DR: The first constructed wetland system to exclusively store and treat runoff from a major road in Ireland was established in the autumn of 2004, which was located adjacent to the M7 motorway, which links Dublin city to Portlaiose town as discussed by the authors.