Runoff disposal through permeable blacktop pavements

The increase in and concentration of post development runoff has captured the interests of many engineers and scientists due to obvious degradation of the natural environment through soil erosion, flooding, damage of property and aquatic habitat etc.

In South Africa and Durban in particular, rapid urbanisation in the urban edge is forcing high-density single-unit housing development over sensitive and often rugged landforms. Control, efficient interception and satisfactory disposal are often difficult to achieve for various reasons. Concentrated discharge, soil erosion and stream overloading is often the inevitable outcome.

This presentation considers a typical sub-catchment development and rainfall runoff, and examines a permeable blacktop pavement as an economical and sustainable medium of runoff conveyance and disposal.