Runoff contamination has motivated the development of different systems for its treatment in order to decrease the pollutant load that is discharged into natural water bodies. In the long term, these systems may undergo operational problems. This paper presents the results obtained in a laboratory study with a 1:1 scale prototype of a System of Catchment. Pre-treatment and Treatment (SCPT) of runoff waters. The analysis aims to establish the operational behaviour of the SCPT in the long term with respect to oil degradation and hydraulic conductivity in the geotextile filter. It is concluded that bio-degradation processes take place inside the SCPT and that hydraulic conductivity of the geotextile filtration system decreases slowly with successive simulated runoff events. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.