Porous pavement, also called pervious pavement, allows rainwater to soak into the ground, thus preventing the accumulation of runoff. Runoff is harmful to the environment because it carries pollutants like pesticides and pet feces into bodies of water which are eventually diverted into wells and used as drinking water. Runoff can also carry phosphorus into ponds and lakes, which at high levels can kill the fish living there. The use of porous pavement is a lot like cutting the fuse on a stack of dynamite. When the fuse is intact, the ignited spark will eventually reach the dynamite and explode, however if the fuse is cut, the spark dies out before it reaches the dynamite and nothing happens. When rainwater is forced to travel down hill and accumulate pollutants, it can cause illness and destroy bodies of water, but when it is allowed to soak into the ground the problems are avoided entirely. Porous pavement contains holes for rainwater to disperse, unlike regular  pavement that is too tightly compacted for water to pass. By using porous pavement instead of regular pavement, NCC decided to cut the fuse and save our environment.

 

EPA. "Porous Asphalt Pavement." Porous Asphalt Pavement. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 3 July 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.