A Side-by-Side Comparison of Pervious Concrete and Porous Asphalt

Welker, Andrea L., James D. Barbis, and Patrick A. Jeffers, 2012. A Side-by-Side Comparison of Pervious Concrete and Porous Asphalt. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(4): 809-819. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2012.00654.x Abstract: This article compares the performance of two permeable pavements, pervious concrete and porous asphalt, that were installed side-by-side in fall 2007. Because the pavements are located directly adjacent to one another, they experience the same vehicle loads, precipitation, and pollution loads. These permeable pavements are part of an infiltration stormwater control measure (SCM). This article focuses on the comparison of water quality parameters, maintenance and durability, and user perception. Eleven different water quality parameters were analyzed at this site for 19 different storm events over a one year period: pH, conductivity, total suspended solids, chlorides, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total dissolved copper, total dissolved lead, total dissolved cadmium, total dissolved chromium, and total dissolved zinc. Results from the two pavement types were compared using the MannWhitney U-test. The only parameter that was found to be statistically different between the two pavements was pH. Periodic inspection of the two pavement types indicated that after two years of use both pavements were wearing well. However, there was some evidence of clogging of both pavements and some evidence of surface wear. A survey of users of the lot indicated that the perception of these permeable pavements was favorable.