1 Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, jenn.drake@utoronto.ca
2 Ph.D., Department of Civil Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, bantinbr@mcmaster.ca
ABSTRACT
With the growing prevalence of sustainable, or ‘green’, building metrics, the use of permeable interlocking concrete pavers (PICP) within Canada and the United States markets has grown significantly since the 1980’s. PICPs can be easily incorporated into otherwise impermeable surfaces, such as parking lots, to allow for the treatment and management of stormwater close to its source within an urban environment. Infiltrating stormwater through a PICP system alters the size and rate of stormwater flows, reducing demand on existing infrastructure, while simultaneously improving the overall quality of water heading to receiving systems. The benefits of PICPs are increasingly recognized by regional and local government agencies and have recently been demonstrated at a pilot parking lot at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s (TRCA) Kortright Centre for Conservation. This paper reports on a 2-year monitoring program conducted by TRCA and the University of Guelph that evaluated the performance of AquaPave® and Eco-Optiloc® pavers in relation to Hydromedia® Pervious Concrete pavement and traditional asphalt systems. The permeable pavements functioned well, even through the winter, eliminating direct runoff and reducing the stormwater outflow by 43%. The PICP and Pervious Concrete were effective in improving stormwater quality by capturing or transforming pollutants such as: suspended solids, heavy metals, nutrients and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. In conclusion, permeable interlocking concrete pavers represent an emerging masonry materials market in Canada that can be readily integrated with the aesthetics of masonry building construction while also serving as a stormwater management system beneficial to the environment.
KEYWORDS: masonry materials, permeable interlocking concrete pavers, sustainability, stormwater management
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