You make the statement that pollution going into the storm drains breaks down naturally. In the storm drain, really? Evey piece of research I've ever comes across says the opposite; contaminates picked up by storm water go, completely untreated, directly into the nearest waterway where they destroy the marine environment.
If you would like to learn how bio-filtration and remediation actually work in pervious concrete, and how much we can improve our environment by using it, please read this article
Storm water solutions:
http://bayareaperviousconcrete.com/faq/downloads-2/Here is a brief excerpt:
As the breakdown of oil by aerobic processes generates carbon dioxide, this can be measured to give a good idea of the rate of biodegradation. Simultaneously, the consumption of oxygen can be measured also gives an idea of the rate of treatment. The background concentration of CO2 is 0.03 %, the levels in the PPS atmosphere reached 0.47 %.
This was conclusive proof that the oil was being progressively removed from the system and the Pervious pavement system was not just a trapping mechanism for pollution, but an aerobic bio-reactor capable of significantly improving discharged water quality.
David Liguori - Bay area pervious concrete
