Permeable Pavers II

Permeable Pavers II

By: Andrew Ewing

LANDSCAPE PERFORMANCE BENEFITS

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            ENVIRONMENTAL: Storm water causes several problems in Portland’s sewer system.  Heavy rains can back the sewer system up and cause many problems including sewer backups in basements.  When the pavers are added CSOs are reduced. This greatly diminishes the overall volume of contaminants that enter the Willamette River.  Permeable pavers are also a fairly low maintenance product which reduces long-term operating costs.

·         AESTHETIC: The materials they used for the permeable pavers are similar to what was used in surrounding parking lots and driveways.  This kept for a cohesive look among all the permeable pavers in the neighborhood. 

·         FUNCTIONAL: Besides being an extremely environmentally friendly product, it is being used as the “pavement” in streets rather than traditional concrete or asphalt.   

·         SOCIAL: Permeable pavers give the road a better look that adds to the streetscape.  The pavers also tie in well with the driveways that have them.

·         EDUCATIONAL: This project is a test case for the city.  They did three different scenarios with permeable pavers to see how it would handle draining the water.  It doesn’t have any direct connections to educating the public on this process. However as people notice the road changes from traditional surfaces to permeable pavers, people will ask questions and hopefully investigate and realize the advantages of them. 

·         ECONOMICAL: Permeable pavers can reduce the total volume of wastewater in the sewer system, reducing long-term costs of operating and maintaining the system.  The “Westmoreland project will help evaluate the costs of building permeable streets and their performance over time.  Several monitoring points in the project area will allow technicians to collect water samples to monitor how well the pavement infiltrates water and if it helps improve water quality.  The Portland Office of Transpiration will evaluate how well the street holds up to residential use, as well as the costs and challenges of maintaining the new surface. New methods and equipment-like vacuum sweepers-will be used to clean the streets and keep them free of weeds and debris”

·         PSYCHOLOGICAL: Roads are the ideal “hard space”. Permeable pavers are a great way to include nature into the street scape.  Permeable pavers allow water to be “absorbed” in the joints much like the ground absorbs water.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Construction cost for this project was $412,000. This project was designed and built by the Portland bureaus of Environmental Services, Water, and Transportation.

EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT: There wasn’t any information released yet on if it’s easy to maintain and what the maintenance expenses are. Nor have they said if it’s improving water quality.  However, if this case does turn out to be successful then it could potentially be an excellent example for future project in the Portland area.