Unlike traditional pavement, porous asphalt allows some of the stormwater to flow through the pavement and into the soil below which offers benefits in flood control, water quality treatment, and extends pavement life since the base is well drained. Traditional pavements cause increased volumes of stormwater runoff. Effective porous asphalt removes the pollutants from stormwater. Although porous asphalt is more expensive, the total project cost is similar to traditional asphalt pavement since stormwater infrastructure (i.e. curbs, gutters, and storm drains) is not required.

Porous asphalt is best suited for areas without extremely high traffic volumes, such as parking lots, sidewalks, traffic islands, or lesser-traveled roads. This is why porous asphalt was a good choice for the parking lot C-9, which is located at the corner of Fifth and Chalmers.