These pavers help you make the best use of rainfall in your yard

Australia is a dry country, and rainfall, when we get it, can be sporadic. Water is one of our most important – and sometimes hard to access – resources, and we experience a whole host of challenges when it comes to the availability of water. Water is essential to everything we do, and supports and sustains communities nation-wide.

So, when we have limited water supplies, it quickly becomes a problem. Maximising water efficiency in our homes is important to ensure we don’t run out of this precious resource, and we need to make the best use of any rainfall we get.

So, how do we do that, exactly?

Strategies such as rainwater tanks and rainwater harvesting are extremely useful and can supplement your existing water resources very well. However, if you want to make the very best use of the limited rainfall you get in your own backyard, one of the most effective strategies is the use of porous pavers.

How porous pavers can maximise rainfall efficiency

Too often, homeowners allow gallons of water to run off their property during rainy weather, and then try to cope with water shortages when it’s dry. That’s because they have no processes in place to manage the rainfall, which just runs off into waterways where it can cause localised flooding, rather than being absorbed into the soil where it’s needed. And it will take with it irreplaceable topsoil and essential nutrients, which will then silt up local creeks and rivers.

Much of the rainfall runs off because our yards are filled with driveways, patios, courtyards, outdoor areas and pavers made from impervious materials. And while there’s nothing wrong with having an outdoor entertaining area or driveway (personally we love them), it might be time to rethink the materials we use to construct them.

The problem with typical construction materials such as concrete, stone, timber and asphalt, are that they don’t absorb water. Rainfall will collect on the surface of these materials, absorbing any chemicals, cleaners or pollutants lying around, and will then run off and be lost into nearby waterways. And local waterways don’t usually need excess influxes of water, which just causes flooding, damage and chemical pollution.

Instead, we need the water. And a porous pavement can help us to retain and harvest most of the rainwater that would otherwise run off and be wasted.

Porous pavements work by allowing rainwater to seep through the surface of the pavement and be absorbed directly into the ground where it’s needed. A porous pavement will help you control and minimise excess runoff, and will effectively recharge local groundwater tables. This means you’ll achieve the maximum absorption of rainfall into your block of land, where it will support the optimal growth of your trees, plants, flowers or vegetables without the need for an additional water supply. And this is great news if you’re on water restrictions (as we often are during our long, hot summers) or just want to save a bit of money and time.

Porous pavers can be used in many backyard applications, including driveways, courtyards, patios, outdoor areas, paths, stepping stones, tree surrounds and pool surrounds. And each of these areas is another opportunity to soak up all that precious rainfall and make far better use of it.

Without a permeable pavement, all that rainfall will be lost to local waterways and won’t be available to hydrate and support your garden. And to make things even worse, high intensity rainfall events are expected to increase in the coming years, due to the changing climate. This will mean more runoff, more flooding, and more disastrous outcomes unless we have procedures in place to cope with these events. Having a yard that will safely manage and redirect water is going to become more important than ever – and a porous pavement is the key to being able to do so. After your initial investment in porous pavers, they will pay for themselves over and over again throughout the years, and will provide a great return on your investment, both financially and environmentally.

Porous pavers make any rainfall you receive so much more effective and useable, and are a fantastic strategy to maximise that all important rainfall. If you want to make your backyard much more self-sufficient and eco-friendlier, a porous pavement is a must. Discover our high-quality range of porous paving options here.