Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Permeable pavers
Beautify and preserve. It’s possible with permeable pavers.
When most of our neighborhoods were built, the idea was to get the water off our paved surfaces as quickly as possible, neglecting the fact that that water has to go somewhere. It goes into our storm drains and directly into our lakes and streams.
Storm water runoff creates a litany of issues including contaminants and pollutants that enter our waterways.
Stormwater runoff continues to collect pollutants along its path to our rivers, creeks and other bodies of water. The solution… a rain barrel makes an impact but permeable pavers will do even more.
They started to become more popular to homeowners in 2005 when legislation passed that made small to medium sized cities more accountable for their treatment of our waterways.
Commercial properties have had to comply with stricter rules about their parking lots and runoff areas for some time now. And, honestly, think about all the oil and gunk from vehicles in parking lots! The contaminated runoff is tremendous.
Homeowners are now getting into the groove of going green with recycled pavers. Rainwater drains into the soil instead of down the storm drain. So whatever “stuff” your car leaks it will seep into the soil where microbes have a chance to, literally, eat it. Fertilizers, pesticides and even the salt we put down has a chance to filter into the soil and be cleansed. There are a number of companies that offer a huge variety of pavers. A Minnesota company called Greenway Pavers notes that a 500 square foot installation will save 250 scrap tires and 7500 plastic bottles from entering our landfill.
Here is a lot from the Minnesota DNR