Bio-Aquifer Storm System - Permeable Pavement Applications
LPS is North America’s largest installer of permeable ecological paver systems.
The Problem:
 Urban development may symbolize progress and prosperity, but it also promotes excessive storm water runoff that contributes pollution tour environment. As developers work on new building and expansion projects, they often find that their sites areas subject to the latest federal regulations under the Clean Water Act targeted to reduce non-point source pollution. When storm water or melting snow runs over impervious surfaces, it becomes a form of non-point source pollution with the potential to damage local water quality and harm aquatic life in streams that flow through urban areas.
Given these regulations, owners and developers are faced with a tough decision. Obviously, they must comply with the regulatory requirements for storm water management. But compliance frequently meads using precious real estate to build a retention pond – and taking a bite out of the bottom line. It’s a complex problem, and a solution to meet both the environmental and the business needs of the developer simply didn’t exist. Until now.
The Solution:
The Bio-Aquifer Storm System (BASS) is the perfect solution to support storm water management and business growth. BASS allows for natural storm water drainage and groundwater recharge, making it ecologically sound and economically smart.
Ecologically Sound
A parking lot, sidewalk or street created with BASS uses permeable components that allow water to flow through, retaining water runoff and directing it through a series of natural filtration systems before it enters nearby streams or rivers. In fact, the BASS method is an acceptable structural Best Management Practice (BMP) used to meet the federal storm water management requirements. By using BASS to comply with these regulations, owners and developers are eliminating the need for space-wasting retention ponds and gaining these environmental benefits:
- Superior control of short-duration storm water runoff (to near 100%)
- Reduced downstream flows and minimized potential for bank erosion
- Critical improvement of water quality using natural filtration methodology
- Valuable cooling effect during first runoff capture
- Flexible capacity for detaining water under road or parking surface
Economically Smart
By reclaiming the land slated for retention ponds, owners and developers using BASS can make more efficient use of their real estate. Plus, the BASS method simply produces a superior pavement surface, and the efficient mechanical installation of the system decreases the total man-hours required to complete the job. Pavement constructed using BASS outperforms other systems in harsh climates with freeze/thaw cycles. In addition, the system and its components deliver maximum strength to handle heavy vehicular traffic. Combining all of these factors, projects using BASS consistently show outstanding results on a 30-year life-cycle cost analysis. Add in its remarkable curb appeal and convenient maintenance access, and BASS clearly provides a strong investment value with solid business benefits:
- Enhanced land planning through the potential elimination of required retention/detention ponds
- Significant savings by reducing or eliminating conventional storm sewers and catch basins
- Reduced maintenance costs for pavement repair, sealing and replacement
- Minimized storm water hook-up fees
- Decreased liability to owners through the elimination of open wet areas
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