Water is the most essential and valuable resource in the world. Over the past we have seen up to 21 out of 36 of our bay-side beaches and various spots on the Yarra River that have been deemed unsuitable for swimming by the EPA.
The problem occurs after a rain event due to contaminants entering our waterways from run-off. The contaminants can be anything from bird poo to petrol spills or dead animals to chemical residuesplus many more. They all have an effect on the quality of our water. This cycle is nothing new but we have the knowledge and the expertise to do something about it and break the cycle and start to improve the quality of our water.
The solution is using Permeable Paving Systems. Permeable paving has been in existence since the late 1980s and can make a huge difference to the amount of run-off and the quality of the water that enters our waterways. Permeable pavers, unlike traditional concrete or asphalt, are made up of porous materials that allow water to pass through. Using permeable pavers on a path, driveways, or street means rainfall can soak into the ground, instead of pooling and running off hard surfaces. Urbanisation increases run-off from 5% in rural situation to up to 95% in urban environments. If we can capture the first 20% of run-off we can eliminate 80% of contaminants that enter our waterways so that we can swim again safely. These contaminants are filtered and broken down by the base material used in Permeable Paving Systems enlarge the latest permeable Premier Hydropavers® from Premier Pavers & stone. 
The improvement of the quality of our water will not happen overnight however the use of Permeable Paving Systems is one way of making a difference. Nicolaas (Nic) van Diemen Nic van Diemen is an qualified Landscape and Segmental Paving Expert and has a Fellowship in (PPS) from the International Specialised Skills Institute (ISSI) Contact us at Premier Pavers & Stone to arrange a demonstration of the water-sensitive solutions for our Premier Hydropavers® offer.
