The City of Melbourne has installed permeable pavements in a number of locations. E2Designlab assisted the City of Melbourne with permeability testing and cleaning to determine whether these assets were infiltrating water as expected or were clogged. All assets presented with a degree of clogging ranging from moderate to severe while most were still infiltrating significant volumes of water. Cleaning of sample sites and re-testing was then undertaken. The outcomes demonstrated that cleaning of permeable pavements is necessary and that it could effectively restore infiltration capacity. The project led to recommendations for all permeable pavements to be cleaned with subsequent testing to allow the frequency of cleaning to be refined to achieve a cost-effective maintenance program for the City’s permeable pavement assets. The project has given the City confidence to proceed with future permeable pavement installations and a better understanding of the level of commitment to ongoing maintenance required to ensure sustainable operation of these assets.
