CASE STUDY: EXTENDING PARKING LOT SQUARE FOOTAGE

A government client was interested in adding parking lot square footage to their facility but required a permeable surface to meet stormwater requirements. They also desired a relatively low-maintenance product. The new parking area would be approximately 16,500 square feet and needed to be durable enough to handle daily vehicular traffic and parking while also meeting their stormwater storage and nutrient removal goals.

SOLUTION AND INSTALLATION: POWERBLOCK PERMEABLE PAVERS

After carefully considering multiple solutions with the client, ACF/Ferguson Waterworks chose PowerBlock permeable pavers for the job. These durable pavers interlock and use open joints for minimal maintenance compared to traditional paver joints, which must be filled in with stone after every installation and every time they are vacuumed. ACF/Ferguson Waterworks worked with a local general contractor and Landsaver Environmental, a specialty installation contractor experienced in permeable pavement installations, on the installation. The preparation for the install was relatively straightforward, with 19 inches being dug out before a monofilament geotextile was placed within the hole and topped with 14.5 inches of stone, leaving 4.5 inches for the blocks. Once the stone was leveled and fine graded, the blocks were placed by hand on the stone with the edges cut to size. To lock in the blocks and finalize the installation, the lot was compacted using plywood over the pavers to ensure no damage was done to the stone.

RESULTS

The end result was an aesthetically pleasing parking lot capable of handling rain events without ponding in the lot. The client is pleased and appreciates how durable and thick each of the blocks was, as well as the 0.48 cubic feet of stormwater storage per square foot the system provides.