Permeable Pavers

Pavers, whether used for driveways, sidewalks or patios, are a great-looking way to create a hardscape that will allow water to pass through. While significantly more expensive than concrete or asphalt, they typically are considerably more attractive.

From natural stone to to concrete blocks in a variety of colors and patterns, pavers can come in a wide variety of styles and of course price points, these days more than ever. Faux stones blocks have become more and more life-like and the variety of natural stones has increased dramatically. Other options like tumbled concrete blocks and even recycled granite countertops have entered the marketplace. 

Not only are pavers aesthetically pleasing, they can also have an environmental benefit. Allowing a hardscape to infiltrate water into the soil is beneficial so long as the ground underneath can absorb the water. Water goes into the ground where it belongs, rather than creating runoff to roads and storm drains, where ultimately it can become a problem, picking up pollution as it flows to the nearest river or stream and creating water management problems in urban areas. 

For many decades, people did not understand the damage this pollution does to our aquatic environment, and there were more natural areas to act like sponges and soak up stormwater. As development in urban areas becomes more dense, however, and storms become more severe, it becomes ever more important to infiltrate water on site.

Keeping water on site with techniques such as permeable pavers and rain gardens is an important technique in reducing the risk of catastrophic flooding from hard rain events and the pollution of our rivers and streams that can accompany pavement runoff. 

Permeable pavers are a green building technology that keeps more water on the site as density increases.