Infiltrating pavements/permeable surfaces; unsealing
Permeable paving is designed to allow rainwater to infiltrate through the surface, either into underlying layers (soils and aquifers), or be stored below ground and released at a controlled rate to surface water. Sealed surfaces can be replaced by different materials, such as gravel turf, grass pavers, concrete pavers with drainage or porous concrete. This is suitable for parking lots, cycling paths, walking paths and access roads, terraces and yards.
Additionally to flood risk reduction by storing surface runoff, the measure has medium or high possible benefits for the following biophysical impacts and ecosystem services: Increase infiltration and/or groundwater recharge; Filtration of pollutants; Intercept pollution pathways; Reduce erosion and/or sediment delivery
Check out the RAINMAN good practice examples:
no good practice example available
READ MORE:
- Office International de l’Eau (2015): Natural Water Retention Measures, URL: http://nwrm.eu (19.03.2020): permeable surfaces
- Landesamt für Umwelt, Landwirtschaft und Geologie (Ed.) (2016): Dezentraler Hochwasserschutz im ländlichen Raum, URL: https://publikationen.sachsen.de/bdb/artikel/13555 (25.03.2020): Minimierung der Bodenversiegelung und Entsiegelungen
- Ewelina Siwiec, Anne Maren Erlandsen, Haakon Vennemo (2018): City greening by rain gardens - costs and benefits, in: iOS-PIB (ed.) Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Vol. 29 No 1(75): 1-5, DOI 10.2478/oszn-2018-0001, URL: https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/oszn.2018.29.issue-1/oszn-2018-0001/oszn-2018-0001.pdf
Sabine Scharfe, Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology
