What would happen if a sudden, high-magnitude rainfall episode hits your city? Do you think most of the city’s drainage systems have the capacity to stop overflowing? That is the problem with traditional pavements and stormwater drainage systems. Actually, the conventional pavement networks make the situation worse. This is where the authorities need to look beyond typical answers. Permeable pavements emerge as a more innovative solution to prevent flooding and safeguard roads. From trapping pollutants and saving cities from flood-prone zones to generating sustainable spaces for people to live, permeable pavements offer remarkable benefits for today’s world.
This article serves as a comprehensive guide, revealing the top benefits of permeable pavements.
We will explore
- What is Permeable Pavement?
- Key Benefits of Permeable Pavements
- Reduce Stormwater Runoff Volume and Peak Flows
- Improve Water Quality by Filtering Pollutants
- Recharge Groundwater and Restore Natural Hydrology
- Reduce Urban Heat Island Effect
- Lower Demand on Stormwater Infrastructure
- Improve Flood Resilience and Prevent Sewer Overflows
- Reduce the Need for De-icing Salt
- Provide Attractive and Flexible Design Options
- Ensuring Pavement Networks are Safe with AI Technology
What is Permeable Pavement?
- This signifies a specific type of advanced surface that makes an easy pathway for rainwater to pass through it and allows the water to diffuse into the underlying earth layers without running off.
- Many people wonder ‘How does permeable pavement work?’ The mechanism is not as complex as it seems. The latter functions through the use of layers of porous materials that have the capacity to filter and retain water stored below the surface.
- There are many types of permeable paving, and the most commonly employed ones include porous asphalt, pervious concrete, and interlocking pavers. The permeable surface is built with specifically selected materials like crushed stone, gravel, crushed stone, and some special concrete mixes.
- The main objective of opting for the latter type of surfaces is to make the water penetrate the vadose zone, removing the possibility of flooding. The other main impact of this is that these pavements act as a formula to improve groundwater recharging naturally.
Key Benefits of Permeable Pavements
Reduce Stormwater Runoff Volume and Peak Flows
As we mentioned above, the beauty of permeable pavements lies in their ability to allow rainwater to traverse the surface and seep into the ground, thereby preventing runoff.
Due to their potential, they are primarily used to reduce stormwater runoff. Also, when there is heavy rain, it diminishes the peak flow, preventing flooding. Another advantage of permeable paving is its ability to avoid overflow in drainage systems.
As it clears the path for water to get filtered naturally, the latter is a proven way to manage rainfall more effectively and efficiently. This is the reason many municipalities tend to utilise this method to keep their cities cleaner and safer. Plus, these pavements can handle extreme weather conditions.
Improve Water Quality by Filtering Pollutants
Another benefit of using permeable paving is confining pollutants, opening doors for improved water quality. It occurs this way: When water traverses the layers of porous pavement, it helps to trap and filter pollutants like dirt, oil, and harmful chemicals.
Because of this process, the water gets naturally cleaned before it reaches its final destinations, such as rivers or groundwater.
Due to their ability to improve stormwater quality, permeable pavements serve as a wise strategy for protecting aquatic life. As an added benefit, it reduces pollution in nearby water bodies.
Recharge Groundwater and Restore Natural Hydrology
As part of its straightforward mechanism, these pavements allow rainwater to seep into the soil, passing through various layers and replenishing the underground water levels.
This process is mainly used in urban areas, and it has become a top strategy as those areas are usually covered with concrete layers. Permeable pavements support restoring the natural water cycle, even though a heavy concrete layer is on top.
Due to groundwater recharge, vegetation continues to grow, eliminating the need for artificial irrigation. Further, it keeps the city’s drainage issues at bay.
Reduce Urban Heat Island Effect
We know that traditional pavements usually trap heat inside them. However, permeable pavements act differently, as they allow air and water to seep through, retaining the cooling effect inside the pavement.
These pavements are a great way to reduce the urban heat island effect by keeping streets and parking areas more comfortable.
On the other hand, when there are cooler surfaces, the water runoff also becomes cooler. This means cooled runoff helps protect fish and other aquatic life in nearby streams.
Lower Demand on Stormwater Infrastructure
Permeable pavements achieve on-site stormwater capture and treatment, reducing the cities’ need for storm drains, pipes, or detention ponds. This simply takes away the critical reliance on expensive stormwater systems. Plus, it significantly lowers the costs for infrastructure.
With this technique, builders and planners can design smaller, more efficient drainage systems that conserve space and reduce costs.
Eventually, this will strike the right balance between budgets for road development projects and the environment.
Improve Flood Resilience and Prevent Sewer Overflows
One of the key challenges municipalities encounter today is the regular occurrence of flooding conditions. It is common knowledge that the culprit behind this is poor road development.
However, this is where the permeable pavement networks come into play as the best solution.
Since it can absorb rain as it falls, it does not let water block the road, which might lead to local flooding and waterlogging. During storms, these pavements have the potential to alleviate the burden on combined sewers while keeping the risk of overflow at lower levels.
Not to mention, this capacity supports initiatives aimed at making cities resilient and safeguarding roads, buildings, and communities from water damage.
Reduce the Need for De-icing Salt
Winter seasons are nightmares for most countries and city planners. With permeable pavements, the best advantage is that they allow water to drain faster and prevent ice buildup.
This way, the pavement surfaces stay drier, which keeps the requirement for salt and chemical de-icers away.
In one way, this trims operational expenses, and in another way, it lessens the strain on ecosystems from salt entering waterways. Since there will be no slippery surfaces any more, even during cold seasons, the road authorities can ensure road safety.
Provide Attractive and Flexible Design Options
The best part of using permeable pavements is that they come with a variety of styles, such as pervious concrete, porous asphalt, or interlocking pavers. It is indeed a plus point that the city planners can blend them suitably and beautifully with parks, parking lots, or driveways.
Moreover, this is a win-win situation as the designers can fabricate some eye-catching landscapes while also managing stormwater constructively.
This is why permeable pavements shine as the best option, which balances beauty with function when it comes to the sustainable urban design process.
Ensuring Pavement Networks are Safe with AI Technology
Whether it is permeable pavements or any other road infrastructure, they have many enemies when it comes to maintenance and lifecycle management. From extreme weather events, accidents, and collapses to poor repairs, these enemies grow stronger over time. However, it is a vital aspect of municipalities to ensure the pavement networks are 100% protected and nothing harmful lies beneath the pavement. That is where the AI-Driven Transport Asset Software enters as the best solution. With AI powers, the software solution can detect any irregularities in the pavements, predict their maintenance requirements and alert the relevant authorities24/7. With AI, pavement safety assurance is sealed!
