Porous parking lots put storm water in its place (Maine)

[jpak]

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/061009pavement.html

The side parking lot at the Freeport Community Center looks a lot like all the other lots around town -- until it rains.

While water puddles up on the other lots and then runs off, it leaks right through this one. Even the contents of a 5-gallon bucket disappear without a trace.

"Literally, the water just goes right through," said Karen Young, director of the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, which hopes to start a trend with the Freeport lot.

Porous pavement is one of the newest tools in Maine's efforts to control storm water and polluted runoff. The community center lot in Freeport is one of two southern Maine parking lots designed and built this summer using the flow-through asphalt. The other is a small parking area next to the Spurwink River in Scarborough.

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[liberal N proud]

1. Cool

The only thing I would worry about is a chemical spill or oil from cars. But then I guess it would be no worse than the run off.

Should cut down on flash floods in urban areas.

[keith the dem]

3. I used a porous paver system

for a small project in NJ(I'm an engineer/ architect.) The system is put down on a bed of sand and stone, similar to a filtering system. Wouldn't help much with a large spill, But for the normal drippings from vehicles, a heck of allot better than normal runoff to our surface waters.

[sui generis]

4. Austin has a permeable groundcover ordinance

many places where you park on open pavers with grass growing through. Every big city should require it.

[YDogg]

2. I love Maine.

[beyurslf]

5. What a great idea! How durable is it long term I wonder?

[damntexdem]

6. Our church parking lot is porous -- old tech, concrete blocks with holes.

Infilled with dirt.

But it works just fine, while still providing a "paved" surface.

[eppur_se_muova]

7. Simple. Obvious. NOT the usual way. Why not?

"Costs too much." :eyes:

The amount of engineering and construction that goes into controlling and redirecting the runoff from asphalt and concrete parking lots and streets is amazing -- and costly. Natural grass and soil does a much better job of holding back the water and releasing it gradually, with much less possibility of flooding.

[phantom power]

8. We could use such things in Phoenix. When it rains, it pours.

[kestrel91316]

9. Well imagine that! Letting the earth soak up rainfall rather

than letting it run off and cause erosion and cause pollution................

What a novel concept. Before you know it, aquifers will start recharging.

No one could have imagined this.