Can Pervious Eliminate Storm Drains?
Shoreview, Minn., is betting on a new “green” concrete paving method that lets rainwater pass right through the street surface to prevent damaging runoff. Pervious concrete – made of gravel and cement minus the sand that gives regular concrete its impenetrable density – has the porous quality of a Rice Krispies bar. Because it will allow water to drain straight to the ground below, Shoreview will install about a mile of pervious concrete streets without storm sewers in a neighborhood on Lake Owasso. This $1 million, all-in bet on the new pavement technology has many cities looking over Shoreview’s shoulder, wondering whether they might try the same approach. “This is the first complete commitment to using a pervious pavement on a residential street replacement” in Minnesota, said Shoreview Public Works Director Mark Maloney. Over the past five years, other Minnesota cities, including Minneapolis and Richfield, have been experimenting with pervious concrete on parking lots and other har
