What is porous pavement?
According to the N.J.D.E.P., porous paving systems consist of a porous asphalt or concrete surface course placed over a bed of uniformly graded broken stone. The broken stone bed is placed on a soil subgrade and is used to temporarily store the runoff that moves vertically through the porous asphalt. The high rate of infiltration through the porous paving is achieved through the elimination of the finer aggregates that are typically used in conventional paving.
Additionally, porous pavements have an adopted TSS removal rate similar to that of infiltration structures.
The University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center, which is a nationally recognized research center has published a paper entitled, "Porous Asphalt Facts", to demonstrate the benefits of using porous pavement vs. traditional asphalt.
These systems look and feel like real asphalt, but produce less runoff due to infiltration. In areas where there is low risk of contaminants, good permeability, and light traffic, porous paving should be considered. Below is a video demonstration of porous pavement.
East Point Engineering has designed porous pavement systems. Contact us to discuss the benefits of using these systems and if they are applicable to your project.