Pervious Concrete

Pervious concrete is a concrete mixture that contains no fine aggregate (sand) so it captures the heavy metals, suspended solids, and even petroleum products that collect in stormwater; only filtrated water seeps through pavement into the ground. Polluted stormwater otherwise runs off off pavement into streams and has to be captured in detention ponds and treated before it is returned to local streams.

Using pervious concrete as a paving method is favored by the Environmental Protection Agency as a best practice in preventing water pollution.

Pervious concrete should be used for parking areas and very low volume roads although research and testing continues on other types of surfaces and roadways. Some pervious mixtures are freeze and thaw durable.