Permapave

The management of storm water runoff has become a significant environmental and economical challenge in cities. Conventional drainage systems are designed to carry water great distances to large municipal sewer systems. Moreover, storm water is often combined with other sewage, resulting in a significant quantity of waste water that must be processed by overtaxed facilities.

Permapave attempts to address the storm water problem at the source. By allowing storm water to pass through paved surfaces, pressure on local pollution control facilities is reduced while underlying water tables are replenished with much-needed groundwater.

Developed in Australia and New Zealand, the bonded, natural-stone permeable pavers provide a simple and attractive solution to eliminate 100% of gross pollutants with a flow through rate of up to 7.5 gallons per second per square foot. The non-slip pavers are also strong enough to support light traffic areas, such as parking lots, driveways and bicycle paths.

Installed similarly to traditional brick pavers, the durable two-inch-thick material can also be specified as a storm water filtration system. When used in conjunction with a Permapave curbside or footpath bio-retention system, the Permapave system can filter up to 60% of phosphorus, 70% of heavy metals, and 98% of hydrocarbons from storm water, eliminating pollution before it permeates the ground.

Source: permapave.comAdded: 14 October 2008