PELHAM — Resident Cindy Doherty dumped a pitcher of water on the new street Tuesday in her Boulder Hills neighborhood.
The water vanished on contact, seeping through the porous asphalt, the first road of its kind in New Hampshire.
Her point was the stuff works. No puddles form.
The real work, however, takes place when storm water — rain, snow melt or water from lawn irrigation — seeps through the asphalt.
The water is filtered of any pollutants like sediment, heavy metals and petroleum products, according to Robert Roseen, director of the University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center.
Storm water left to pool and run off into the environment is a threat to water quality, emptying pollutants into streams and rivers.
The center teamed with contractor Stickville LLC and the town to lay down 900 feet of porous asphalt on Winterberry Road, as well as porous asphalt driveways and walkways in the adult condominium community.
By eliminating runoff, the porous surface makes retention ponds and catch basins unnecessary, said Tony Stickney, co-owner of Stickville.
The asphalt, which was put down about three weeks ago, costs 25 percent more than traditional asphalt, but the developers saved money by not having to install drainage and collection systems, he said.
The asphalt looks pretty much the same as regular surfacing.
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