Permeable

While stormwater runoff pollutants in general aren't great for aquatic animals, chemicals from tire particles are particularly harmful to salmon. A recent study now shows that permeable pavements could keep most of those toxins from ever reaching the fish.Ordinarily, when rainwater runs along city streets, it carries pollutants from those streets down the storm drains and out into the local waterways. One proposed method of addressing that problem involves replacing existing road surfaces – or building new ones – with…

Credit: Kaixuan Zheng et al A permeable reactive barrier, or "PRB," is a wall constructed below ground to clean up contaminated groundwater. The wall is "permeable," which means that contaminated groundwater can flow through the PRB to be treated. The reactive materials that make up the wall either trap harmful contaminants or make them less harmful. The treated groundwater flows out the other side of the wall. PRB has…

Typical permeable pavement configuration: (a) pavement containing only a granular base course, (b) pavement containing granular base and sub-base courses. Credit: Sustainability (2022). DOI: 10.3390/su14094970 This year has seen one of Australia's worst flood disasters on record in the eastern states, with 23 people killed, thousands left homeless, and a damage bill expected to top $1.5 billion.…