Pervious Concrete Pavement

Do you need to repave your driveway or patio, but you don’t know how to do it while being green? Well here’s your answer, it’s called pervious concrete pavement. So what is this pervious concrete? Well it’s basically concrete that is porous and allows water to flow through it to the ground below. This technology helps the important environmental issue of storm water runoff as well as groundwater. Pervious concrete helps to recharge groundwater and water tables. For areas whose water tables are being lowered and are not being recharged as fast, pervious concrete offers a great solution to rebuild the water levels. It is so effective at reducing storm water runoff that it meets the EPA’s regulations and is recommended by the EPA as one of the best water management practices. Storm water runoff is just one problem pervious concrete can solve, the other is that it also saves land space that would be taken by water retention ponds. If everyone had pervious concrete then water tables would be higher and water management ponds would be less frequent freeing up more land and helping reduce habitation loss. The way that this concrete is constructed is also key to it’s environmental success. The concrete itself is made from certain amounts of water and cement materials that create a paste. The concrete contains very little or no sand but rather medium sized aggregate particles. The paste then forms a coating around the particles and binds them together. This creates a permeable system where water can pass through and drain quickly. So for all the people out there that are concerned about water conservation or water pollution, it looks like pervious concrete should be in your driveway or patio. However, it’s not limited to residential areas. It can also be used for sidewalks and in parks. If all the concrete in the world were to be replaced with pervious concrete, it would drastically reduce water pollution as well as recharge water tables and save land space. So spread the word to your friends and family as well as your local government. Smart water practices are the way of the future!