Quantifying the Impact on Stormwater Management of an Innovative Ceramic Permeable Pavement Solution

Stormwater management in cities has traditionally been based on centralized systems, evacuating runoff as quickly as possible through drainage networks that collect and convey the runoff to the final point of treatment or the receiving water body. In recent years, a different approach focused on the use of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) represents a paradigm shift, promoting a decentralized management as close to the runoff source as possible. Among these techniques, permeable pavements represent an effective solution for reducing runoff and providing pollutant treatment. This contribution describes the results obtained from an innovative ceramic permeable pavement developed as part of the LIFE CERSUDS project in the city of Benicàssim (Spain). This pavement, composed by modules built from ceramic tiles in stock, allows water infiltration, runoff treatment and water reuse as part of a SUDS built in 2018 and monitored from September 2018 to September 2019. The purpose of the research was to demonstrate the hydraulic performance of the proposed solution through monitoring of runoff quantity and quality variables. Monitoring data analysis have shown positive results, reducing peak runoff rates and the volume of water which is conducted downstream. From the hydrological point of view, the system capacity shown a 100% runoff management for events up to 15–25 mm of precipitation. This is a very significant threshold since these values represent, respectively, the 81% and 91% percentiles for the study area. System performance was confirmed in terms of runoff management and water infiltration. This demonstration case study represents a reference example of urban retrofitting actions which integrate social, economic and environmental aspects.