ABSTRACT
Stormwater infiltration is executed in pervious areas of the land surface, and in surface and subsurface infiltration basins. Configurations of slopes, soils, site boundaries, subwater-sheds and land use intensities sometimes prevent infiltration from being fully implemented. Vegetation and accompanying fauna maintain soil aggregation, macropores and infiltration rates. The highest infiltration rates in a given soil type are found in maturely vegetated areas free of clearing, grading, compaction and disturbance. A project at the Riverbend East residential community in Athens, Georgia managed to restore the infiltration capacity of a 10-year-old compacted, poorly vegetated lawn. Permeable pavements include porous asphalt and concrete, open-celled pavers, and a variety of other materials. Porous asphalt consists of an open-graded asphalt concrete over an open-graded aggregate base, over a draining soil. Porous asphalt pavement was conceived at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in 1968 and was developed there with EPA support in the early 1970s.
