Permeable paving

Permeable paving is a paved surface through which water is able to pass between the blocks.

The benefits of a permeable paving system are: It assists stormwater drainage systems, natural breakdown of pollutants and water harvesting, while preventing soil erosion.

The Bosun Waterwise Paver™ has four different installation techniques allowing for optional levels of permeability. With the correct design, water could either infiltrate the subgrade (ground), or be channelled to an underground storage facility, which has proved to be an extremely effective means of water harvesting.

Reality check

It is far more expensive and requires much more skill to install permeable paving.

These pictures were taken at the same time on a rainy day. This site is installed with Bosun Waterwise Pavers and normal interlockers. It can be seen that water has drained through the permeable paving in the parking area, whereas the water has dammed up on the standard interlocking paving.

This site has a system of underground pipes and an underground catchment tank in which rainwater is harvested for irrigation.

Reality check

A permeable paving system requires an engineer’s design and very specific layer works to function correctly.