Green Infrastructure - Permeable or Pervious Pavement or pavers

Permeable or pervious pavement or pavers come in various forms, as pavers set into aggregate base, porous pavement applied to an existing roadbed, or even specially designed concrete on sidewalks. Adding porosity is a way for water to filter through the hard surfaces and into the ground below. It keeps rain water on site, reduces flooding, captures and retains potential pollutants, and helps recharge aquifers.

Above are examples in the city of Phoenix of pervious concrete, which was installed to mitigate runoff. This feature allows for water to percolate rather than puddle on the street. Permeable material helps reduce stress on our storm sewer system!

The permeable pavers below allow water to infiltrate between the hard surface material and flow through the soil into the ground. Runoff from the building and sidewalk flows to the pavers, which helps reduce peak flows as the soil among the paver traps water like a sponge.