Permeable Pavements Go Mainstream

Permeable pavements are becoming more commonplace as municipalities look to manage stormwater, comply with EPA regulations, and create aesthetically pleasing public spaces. And as more designers, property owners and public officials grow to understand the value of Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PICP) for use as a Low Impact Development (LID) Best Management Practice (BMP), the use of PICP continues to spread throughout the country both for new construction and retrofit purposes. Here are a few examples.

The largest permeable pavement retrofit project in North America features nearly six miles of urban roadway permeable pavement. To address constant flooding in this section of the city, the roadways of three residential communities were retrofitted with a Aqualine Series™ PICP system, both managing stormwater and beautifying the neighborhoods.

In a unique private-public partnership, the City of Chattanooga partnered with the owners of a local restaurant and hotel to eliminate street flooding on a section of Johnson Street by replacing impervious pavement with 28,000 SF of Aqua-Bricloc® and Aqua-Bric®. By combining resources, the property owners saved money on stormwater abatement for their new construction, and the city saved money on needed repairs to the street.

The parking lot of this research center of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System consisted of 16,000 SF of impervious asphalt draining to a poorly functioning 2,900 SF pervious grass pave system. The pervious section was retrofitted with an Aqua Roc™ PICP system that included a water harvesting and recycling system, which proved effective in both managing stormwater and removing pollutants from the harvested water.

Milwaukee’s Green Corridor area is an urban stormwater management program focused on investigating a wide range of sustainable practices. As part of this initiative, the Garden District Farmers’ Market installed a 15,000 SF Aqualine Series™ parking lot. Built with the assistance of a Green Infrastructure Grant, the PICP system includes a water harvesting system used to irrigate their gardens and orchard.