The recent replacement of some walkways with pervious concrete in the VanAndel Plaza area north of the Schaap Science Center will control water runoff by allowing rain to penetrate the concrete and flow into the ground below the walkways.
This project has two significant benefits: it will enhance the college's sustainability initiatives by eliminating some impervious surfaces on campus and allow a more natural water flow and retention in the soil; and it will protect the Schaap Science Center from rain water running down the sloped surfaces and into the building.
This is the first of several small projects designed to help reduce the amount of surface water runoff and to protect nearby buildings from water infiltration.
The Schaap Science Center suffered significant flooding during a torrential rainstorm in June, 2009.