This video shows the awesome power of pervious concrete – a great tool in preventing stormwater pollution.

This demonstration, by the City of Shoreview, shows a water truck opening a deluge onto a pervious concrete roadway. About 27 seconds into this video, the water is shut of and the water disappears beneath the surface of the road almost instantly.

Normally, when it rains water runs across hard surfaces, picking up pollutants like oil, sediment, trash and bacteria before flowing – untreated – through storm drains to nearby surface waters.

Pervious concrete, and other pervious surfacing materials, allow water to infiltrate through pours in their surface and into the ground below. Since there is little to no runoff, these surfaces help prevent stormwater pollution from impacting the Mississippi River.