The Village in Burns Harbor

Pervious concrete pavement is a unique and effective means to address important environmental issues and support green, sustainable  growth. By capturing stormwater and allowing it to seep into the ground, porous concrete is instrumental in recharging groundwater, reducing stormwater runoff, and meeting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stormwater regulations. In fact, the use of pervious concrete is among the Best Management Practices (BMPs) recommended by the EPA– and by other agencies and geotechnical engineers across the country– for the management of stormwater runoff on a regional and local basis. This pavement technology creates more efficient land use by eliminating the need for retention ponds, swales, and other stormwater management devices. In doing so, pervious concrete has the ability to lower
overall project costs on a first-cost basis.

In pervious concrete, carefully controlled amounts of water and cementitious materials are used to create a paste that forms a thick coating  around aggregate particles. A pervious concrete mixture contains little or no sand, creating a substantial void content. Using sufficient paste to coat and bind the aggregate particles together creates a system of highly permeable, interconnected voids that drains quickly. Both the low mortar content and high porosity also reduce strength compared to conventional concrete mixtures, but sufficient strength for many applications is readily achieved.

While pervious concrete can be used for a surprising number of applications, its primary use is in pavement. This site focuses on the pavement applications of the material, which also has been referred to as porous concrete, permeable concrete, no-fines concrete, gap-graded concrete, and enhanced-porosity concrete.

Pervious concrete provides significant storm water intervention at the Village in Burns Harbor. Stop by the welcoming center, Saturday and  Sunday, Noon to 5 PM and see a practical application of pervious concrete in the FIRST CERTIFIED GREEN COMMUNITY in AMERICA.

 

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 30th, 2011 at 10:20 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.