Since 2011, the City of Santa Barbara has installed over 100,000 square feet of permeable pavers across 11 sites, in alleys, streets, sidewalks, and parking lots, as part of its efforts to meet post-construction stormwater requirements. Permeable pavers allow rainwater to soak into the ground rather than flow into the storm drain system, but concerns exist about clogging and maintenance. After 10–15 years in service, monitoring data show that infiltration rates have declined from original levels but still exceed the intensity of a 200-year storm event in most cases, and subgrade infiltration rates have remained stable since the projects were built. Maintenance has generally been limited to routine street sweeping and leaf blowing, with no substantial improvement seen from more intensive cleaning like pressure washing. Collectively, the sites have infiltrated an estimated 10 million gallons of rainwater over the past decade.  

Workshop Host: City of Santa Barbara