Stormwater Harvesting Benefits
Detaining stormwater and removing pollutants is the primary purpose of stormwater management. Ground saturated by water creates excess moisture that runs across the surface and into storm sewers and road ditches. This water often carries debris, chemicals, bacteria, eroded soil, and other pollutants into streams, rivers, lakes, or wetlands. Stormwater harvesting systems are designed to capture and reuse stormwater to maintain or restore natural water distribution.
How Does a PICP Stormwater Runoff System Store Water?
A Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) stormwater runoff system stores water by allowing stormwater runoff to infiltrate through porous surfaces into a storage reservoir. This method of stormwater runoff harvesting utilizes a free resource to reduce municipal water supply costs, while complying with regional stormwater management guidelines.
In southern climates, a NO INFILTRATION system (complete with liner) can be used as the long term storage reservoir, with the water being used for irrigation, washing or other non-potable applications. An integrated control system, such as provided by Water Harvesting Solutions (www.wahaso.com) is typically used to operate these harvesting systems. In addition, where the PICP is also serving a stormwater management function, it is recommended that an active control system be used to monitor weather forecast information and to automatically draw down the water volume to accommodate projected precipitation rates.
