You may have heard about porous asphalt, or permeable pavements. They’ve been proving their worth as a hard-working, durable surface for 40 years now, allowing water to drain through the surface into the soil below – preventing buildup of storm water and helping prevent water-based damage, which is important in Toronto’s harsh winters. But what exactly is porous asphalt, and how does it benefit you?
Simply put, porous asphalt allows water to drain through the asphalt into the stone bed below. As the water drains through the asphalt, it slowly infiltrates into the soil below. The size and depth of the stone bed will depend on the exact details of the installation; it needs to be deep enough so that the water level never rises to the asphalt itself.
Porous asphalt has two major benefits – one for the environment, and one for your wallet!
Environmentally, porous asphalt is very green – it doesn’t interrupt the natural water cycle, allowing rain and storm water to enter the soil as it would if there wasn’t an asphalt surface there to begin with. It also creates cooler asphalt temperatures (due to its open structure) and reduces the demand on storm sewer systems. It helps replenish the water table and aquifers in your area, without bringing with it harmful runoff in terms of oil or grease from your surface.
For your pocketbook, installation of porous asphalt means less money spent installing a storm-water management solution; storm water will naturally seep into the soil without requiring channeling or retention ponds. Also, it removes any potential impact fees charged when water run-off from parking lots overwhelm the storm sewer system; because there’s no water run-off, there’s no chance of overwhelming the system. This makes it a very economical choice.
Yes, some aspects of construction – including the underlying stone bed – are marginally more expensive than a standard asphalt parking lot, but it ends up paying for itself in the long run, especially when you consider the value of the land that not having storm-water management features installed will open up.
Porous asphalt is a great choice for any business. Contact Epic Paving today to find out what we can do for you!
