Your driveway design, Ottawa’s lifeline?
Help prevent urban flooding with a $5,000 Purepave grant
In the wake of last August’s torrential downpour that overwhelmed Ottawa’s aging storm sewer infrastructure, the municipal government is poised to expand its Rain Ready grant program to additional parts of the city this year to encourage more people to take action to reduce the harmful impacts of rainwater run-off.
Originally conceived as a pilot project for property owners in select neighbourhoods to help subsidize different rainwater management projects, the program offers grants of up to $5,000 for the installation of permeable pavements.
“We can prevent flooding if enough people eliminate run-off from their properties,” said Taylor Davis, founder and CEO of Purepave. “The grant program is a brilliant solution because it’s a net gain for the city economically, environmentally and sustainability-wise. When enough people do it, the culmination of that is we can start to grow a ‘sponge city’ here.”
The concept of a sponge city, said Davis, is one that is taking root in different municipalities around the world. The idea is to restore the natural ability of the ground to absorb water and slowly return it to the water table, something that we’ve taken away by covering our cities with buildings and impermeable roads and parking surfaces.
Davis believes that Purepave is part of the solution. His Ottawa-based company has developed a unique permeable surfacing material that lets water sink into the ground and can be used to replace old asphalt or brick driveways, walkways and patios.
Purepave formulated a proprietary plant-based resin system as a flexible binder for natural aggregates and a porous base layer designed to withstand the freeze-thaw cycles of Canada’s harsh climate.
As storms become more severe, Davis says the city’s storm sewer systems simply can’t cope with the volume of rainfall, which will lead to more flooding events like the one the city endured last year. This is why programs like Rain Ready are so important, and why more homeowners should consider installing approved surfaces like Purepave.
According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), damage caused by extreme weather events in this country exceeds $2 billion per year, and most of that is water-related damage. Over the last decade, the IBC says there have been more than 35 catastrophic flooding events across Canada in which insured losses exceeded $30 million per flood.
“Severe weather leads to a series of consequences that are costly for the city and costly for the environment,” said Davis. “That eventually makes its way to the individual who has to pay more taxes. It will all come back to us one way or another, especially if you happen to be one of the people whose business or house floods.”
In addition to mitigating flood risks by helping rainwater be absorbed into the ground, the unique properties of Purepave material bring several other benefits, noted Davis. For example, it contains air pockets that give it geothermal properties that allow snow to melt faster and thus requires less snow clearing. It also means that water won’t pool and freeze on your driveway or walkway, which reduces the risk of falls. It also has an inherent gritty texture that gives you more traction when you walk over it.
Most cracks in asphalt surfaces come from water freezing and thawing beneath the surface, something that doesn’t happen with Purepave. In addition to being more visually appealing, having no cracks also means no weeds to deal with. Also, because it’s porous, Purepave doesn’t hold as much heat in the summer, which helps reduce the “heat island” effect of large, paved areas.
Permeable Plus is the certified Purepave installer. The Permeable Plus team is led by Dylan Sandarage, an engineering graduate from Carleton University, and Adam Conboy, an award-winning hardscape design specialist. Sandarage studied permeable surfacing at Carleton and has a strong desire to contribute to sustainable cities. Conboy, who has been expertly installing surfaces for decades, wants to do the same. Their team has quickly become the highest-rated Purepave team for quality and customer satisfaction. Clients can expect a level of intellect, maturity and quality from the Permeable Plus team that they have not experienced before.
While the company has many environmentally conscious products, Davis said one of its big selling points is simply that their surfaces look great. He says that the majority of their clients are looking for a unique design, and Purepave offers that, as it is typically installed with interlock stones that frame a coloured surface of their choice.
“That coloured granite-looking surface has a unique appearance that looks pretty awesome. If you’re in the market to enhance your property by replacing your driveway or building a patio, take a look at this system, people love it.”
For more information and to obtain a free estimate, visit
We can prevent flooding if enough people eliminate runoff from their properties.