Pervious Paving

The Green Learning Station is proud to be the most high-tech parking lot in the Midwest—thanks to an experiment comparing six types of pavement, including five that let water flow through them. 

A collage shows five different types of pervious paving, each labeled: eco pavers, pervious concrete, Belden brick, porous asphalt, and tri pavers.

What is pervious pavement? 

With typical pavement, rainwater runs off the pavement into the sewer, which can cause our sewer system—which carries both rainwater and sewage—to overflow during heavy rains. With pervious pavement, on the other hand, stormwater flows through spaces between the pavers or the gaps in the concrete or asphalt and into a gravel bed below. Over time, water sinks into the ground under the parking lot and eventually into our ground water. 

How does the GLS pervious pavement work?

A map of the Green Learning Station and the Civic Garden Center parking lot shows the location of different site features, including the pervious paver types.

Our parking lot features the following types of pavement:

  • Permeable pavers, which are a lot like regular interlocking pavers except that spacers on the sides or special installation patterns ensure there is enough space between the pavers that water can get through.

  • Porous Asphalt, which is made with large, angular gravel and not sealed, leaving space between the gravel pieces for water to travel through.

  • Pervious Concrete, which lacks sand and thus allows water to flow through the spaces between angular gravel held together by cement.

Our pervious paving actually has sensors embedded in it that measure temperature and water flow. The data streaming from those sensors and our weather station show us the dynamics of a storm—in other words, how water moves through the site. The information we collect can be used to improve the design of rainwater management systems, help government officials make informed policy decisions and encourage more people to install green stormwater controls. 

What now?

If you’re interested in learning more about pervious pavement at the Green Learning Station, come by for a visit or check out our pervious pavement resource. You can also explore the GLS’s other green features.