The Long-Term Hydrological Performance of Permeable Pavement Systems in Northern Spain: An Approach to the “End-of-Life” Concept

Abstract

Porous mixtures and Interlocking Concrete Block Pavements (ICBP) are the most widely used surfaces in Permeable Pavement Systems (PPS). Despite the fact that there are many studies based on the hydrological performance of PPS, there are few long-term studies that identify the end of life of PPS regarding their hydrological performance. A field study has been developed over 10 years in the experimental car park "Las Llamas" in the city of Santander, Northern Spain. Permeability was measured in 37 car park bays (nine Polymer-Modified Porous Concrete, nine Porous Asphalt, and 17 ICBP of two different designs). Tests were conducted under the Spanish Standard NLT-327/00 for the porous-mixture surfaces and the ASTM methods C1701/C1701M-17a and C1781/C1781M-15 for porous mixtures and ICBP, respectively. No maintenance was carried out in this car park since it was opened to traffic in 2008, allowing for the assessment and identification of the hydrological failure of each surface. The research showed that after 10 years of operation without maintenance, the bays constructed using porous mixtures were completely clogged, reaching the end of their operational life after nine years. However, ICBP maintained high infiltration rates, showing better resilience to sediment clogging. Further research is needed to confirm the evolution of ICBP surfaces.

Middle-Term Evolution of Efficiency in Permeable Pavements: A Real Case Study in a Mediterranean climate

“…Some works show evidence of obstruction after 4 years of operation [ 35 ] and 6 years [ 33 ], so, in the ‘middle-term’, clogging may appear, and maintenance operations will be required. Other papers confirm major obstructions in the ‘long-term’, starting from 10 years [ 29 ] or 12 years [ 36 ]. Different climatic conditions may be the origin of these differences, so it is not yet possible to draw definitive conclusions about the ‘end of life’ of these systems.…”

“…The recent start-up of many SuDS projects, and the lack of monitoring of their performance during the operational phase, results in a lack of data on the evolution of their efficiency over time. As some studies [ 28 , 29 ] indicate, more information is needed to optimize the operation of these systems, identifying the ‘end of life’ and when maintenance may be necessary to restore permeability and hydrological functionality.…”

Laboratory Evaluation of the Permeability Durability of Utilization of Oil Shale Waste as Fine Aggregate in Open Grade Friction Course in Seasonal Frozen Regions

“…Sanudo-Fontaneda et al proposed an "end-of-life" concept based on the long-term hydrological performance of permeable pavement systems in northern Spain. The research showed that, after 10 years of operation without maintenance, the bays constructed using porous mixtures were completely clogged, reaching the end of their operational life after nine years [26]. Razzaghmanesh and Beecham investigated this mechanism through surface infiltration methods, the use of embedded sensors, and the development of modelling tools.…”

Development of Test Equipment for Evaluating Hydraulic Conductivity of Permeable Block Pavements

“…As these pollutants are being trapped within the joints and layers of the permeable pavement, the drainage performance of the pavement is at risk of failure, until it finally reaches an unacceptable level [6,9,12]. To better understand the clogging and filtration processes within permeable pavements, many studies have been conducted to assess the long-term hydraulic capacity through field and laboratory experiments [6,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19].…”