Sustainable Development Green Initiatives: Permeable Pavements

Permeable pavement is a porous pavement that filters and allows a portion of roadway and/or parking lot runoff to infiltrate the surface to recharge ground water sources. The permeable pavement program was created to reduce runoff from land use developments and educate local governments on the benefits of permeable pavements.

Public infrastructure such as sidewalks, bike paths, and parking facilities constructed or retrofitted with permeable pavements in place ease the strain on drainage systems by diverting a portion of surface runoff to ground water reserves. They are cost effective because they reduce a development’s dependence on swales (artificial dips or slopes in the surface designed to channel, filter and increase infiltration), retention ponds, and other stormwater management tools.