The Canadian city of Ottawa is piloting permeable pavers in a parking lot at the Carlingwood branch of the Ottawa Public Library to better manage rainwater.
It is part of a wider project by the City to manage rainwater in older urban areas of Ottawa that were built without stormwater management in a way that will reduce the risk of flooding and treat runoff. It is the first project at a City facility.
How permeable pavers work
With regular pavers, when there’s rain, the water that lands on a parking lot flows off to the side, picking up pollutants as it flows, and then directly into a stormwater sewer. With permeable paver, the water goes straight down through the spaces between the pavers and into extra layers of gravel and soil beneath the surface.
The City said while some of it will still end up in the storm sewer, only after a great deal of it has been soaked up by the soil.
Read more: smartcitiesworld.net
