Permeable Surfaces

Permeable Surfaces

Banner with lush green plants on left and bold text USING PERMEABLE SURFACES on a blue background.

From Impermeable to Permeable

Two-car garage with white sectional doors, small square windows along the top, and a concrete driveway under a leafy canopy.
Driveway of interlocking hexagonal pavers in gray and reddish tones leading to a light gray garage door.

If you have impermeable paving that you would like to make permeable, there are two main methods for doing so:

  • Break up hard paved surfaces to create spaces for water to seep through.
  • Remove and replace the surfaces with permeable paving.

Either method allows water to soak into the soil, reducing runoff and increasing groundwater recharge. This practice also helps reduce the heat island effect (an increase in ambient temperature from heat-retaining buildings and paved surfaces). These methods will lower the surrounding temperature and reduce the need for air conditioning.

Contouring the landscape to hold water back in places helps generate percolation.

Walkways

Walkways that use materials like bark or gravel are permeable. Stepping stones can be used with a permeable filler like gravel or mulch.

Stone pathway with irregular flagstone pavers and gravel joints, flanked by green shrubs.
Gravel garden path with stone steps bordered by yellow-green shrubs and lush greenery.
Irregular flagstone path forming a driveway to the garage, with grass and ground-cover between stones.
Rear view of a blue sedan parked on a driveway paved with rectangular concrete blocks in a grid pattern.

Driveway Examples

Concrete and asphalt driveways can be replaced with permeable asphalt, pavers and drive on surfaces.

Green rain barrel with a black lid beside a pale wall, surrounded by plants; a white plastic object rests across its top.

Water Harvesting

Water from down spouts can also be captured in rain barrels.