Benefits

Allow water to filter through hard surface to increase soil moisture and sustain adjacent vegetation


Decrease excess stormwater runoff

  • Catchment outflow reductions of 67% are possible for rainfall events of less than 50 mm by using permeable paving built over clay subgrades (Collins, Hunt & Hathaway, 2008)
  • Permeable pavement appears to be an effective tool for hydrologic mitigation of storms from “every day events” up to the 10-year, 24-h average recurrence interval (ARI) or now referred to as 10% AEP (Fassman & Blackbourn, 2010)


Stormwater management solution when no underground drainage system exists

Avoid downstream drainage system upgrades

Case study: Kegworth Road, Melrose Park permeable paving project cost $30,000 more than resurfacing the road with asphalt. The project cost $200,000 in total, including permeable paving, leaky wells, and soakage and distributions systems in the nearby reserve. This was in comparison with the estimated $1.2 million cost of upgrading the conventional pit and pipe network to address a local flooding issue (Johnson & King, 2020)


Support maintenance of pre-development run-off rates and/or more natural hydrological cycle

Reduce stormwater ponding on surface of carpark, road or footpath

Reduce the need for stormwater pits and pipes (and associated cost)

Acknowledgement of Country

Water Sensitive SA acknowledges Aboriginal people as the First Peoples and Nations of the lands and waters we live and work upon, and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge and respect the deep spiritual connection and the relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to Country.