Permeable Pavers Workshop

June 10, 2011 Boone, NC,  9am-1pm

Most parking lots form puddles. As those puddles grow, gas, oil, trash, and other pollutants accumulate until the storm water flows into a storm drain and into a creek. But this does not happen at the new Casey and Casey Law Office parking lot in downtown Boone. In fact, when rainwater lands on this parking lot, it infiltrates and disappears from the surface! Pretty amazing! This is beneficial to the nearby creek because it cleans, cools, and slows the water down.

Under this permeable parking lot, there are layers of gravel and aggregates allowing the water to infiltrate before flowing into the creek. The parking lot is divided into three cells with varying depths of gravel and aggregates and data loggers embedded within. These loggers are collecting data every 10 minutes to determine how long the water is stored and temperatures, which is important information for trout streams.  Water quality sampling has begun and will continue for two years.  With this data, researchers from North Carolina State University will be able to determine which depth of aggregates and gravel are most efficient and effective for purifying and cooling the rainwater. 

Dr. Bill Hunt of the NC State University Stormwater Team will be in Boone on June 10^th for the Permeable Pavers workshop providing permeable pavement research and informative insights on innovative stormwater management.   To register, please contact Wendy Patoprsty at 828-264-3061 or email her at:  wendy_patoprsty@ncsu.edu
$10 registration fee includes lunch and tour.  The workshop will be held at the Watauga County Agricultural Conference Center.

This research project was funded through the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund and made possible with the following partners; Casey and Casey Law Offices, National Committee for the New River, North Carolina State University, Brushy Fork Environmental Consulting, Watauga County Cooperative Extension, Town of Boone, and Belgard Hardscapes.