Lea Hagen

About me

Lea’s research primarily focuses on the function of roadside swales and ditches in retaining pollutants from road runoff. She aims to investigate the occurrence, distribution and concentration of various contaminants in roadside soils along roads in Nordic countries, considering different factors that influence infiltration and treatment potential. Additionally, her work involves testing different roadside swale and buffer strip infiltration systems.

Lea joined the Urban Water Engineering group in April 2024. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from RWTH Aachen University in Germany. Her master’s program focused on water management.

Stormwater from road surfaces carries a wide range of pollutants mainly attributed to vehicular transportation, which may have harmful impacts on the aquatic environment. The most common solutions to manage road runoff are swales and buffer strips. However, the retention capacities are sparingly documented. Enhancing our understanding of the infiltration and treatment potential of swales and roadside buffer strips could lead to improved design recommendations.

Research projects

• Stormwater&Sewers Opens in new window.
• DRIZZLE Opens in new window.
• Microplastics accumulated in swales Opens in new window.
• Roadside infiltration systems for treatment of road runoff in Nordic countries Opens in new window.