Mystic River Watershed

Hurd Field Porous Pavement Education Project


Background/Location

Rainwater and snow melt runs off the surface of traditional pavement and carries pollutants to our water ways. Porous pavement lets water infiltrate into the soil through gaps in all the layers to the groundwater. It also filters pollutants from stormwater and helps protect the water quality of Mill Brook. Since optimum performance of porous pavement depends on these air spaces, sand should not be used in the winter. Porous pavement must be vacuumed (not swept) clean to avoid clogging. Watch the video below to learn more about the porous pavement project on Hurd Field.

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Benefits of Porous Pavement

  • Reduces the volume and velocity of runoff
  • Improves water quality by capturing the water and filtering it
  • Replenishes groundwater
  • Reduces impacts of flooding during storm events
  • Eliminates the need for sanding and reduces the need for road salt in winter months

Aerial photo of Hurd Field Parking Lot, Arlington, MAView a larger aerial photo of the Hurd Field Parking Lot, Arlington, MA.

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Hurd Field Porous Pavement

Cross section view of porous pavement and underlying substrateView a larger version of this image.

See the final draft design of the parking lot.

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Photo Gallery

  Click to pause/play slideshow.  

Click on thumbnails to view
larger versions of images.

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Additional Resources on Porous Pavement

Learn more about Low Impact Development and community projects by checking out EPA's Soak Up the Rain Campaign web site.

University of New Hampshire's Stormwater Center Exit is a resource for information on porous pavement and other low-impact development methods.

Local land use officials addressing the relationship of land use to natural resource protection can learn more about low-impact development for stormwater management through The University of Connecticut's Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) program. Exit

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