Permeable Resin-Bound Surfacing in Buffalo, NY

Green Code Section 7.3 and the Buffalo Sewer Authority

Under Section 7.3 of the Buffalo Green Code, any land development that disturbs a quarter acre (10,890 square feet) or more needs a SWPPP prepared to Buffalo Sewer Authority requirements as part of site plan review; smaller projects must still manage stormwater but skip the SWPPP. Owners must certify every five years that permanent practices still perform. Discharges follow a sewer hierarchy, and where water goes to a storm relief or combined sewer, post-development peak flow in a 25-year storm must be lower than pre-development peak flow in a 2-year storm.

The code's preferred practices start with conserving natural areas, then on-site infiltration including porous pavement, then capture and reuse. Separately, Rain Check 2.0 grants fund green infrastructure, including permeable pavement, for privately owned, tax-exempt organizations in the Authority's priority basin with at least 22,000 square feet of hard surfaces, in return for a maintenance commitment.

Lake-effect winters, clay and old fill

Buffalo's lake-effect snow, freeze-thaw cycles and road salt are the main design pressures. The state Design Manual bars sand and other traction materials on porous pavement, so a winter plan using plowing and approved deicers is part of the design. The Green Code allows other practices where infiltration is not feasible because of contamination, high groundwater, shallow bedrock or poor infiltration rates, all common on former industrial land and fill.

Under the state manual, porous pavement needs native soil that passes an infiltration test of half an inch per hour, an underdrain if the rate is under 2 inches per hour, and a 2-foot buffer above seasonal high groundwater or bedrock. On tight soils an underdrained reservoir still meets the city's peak-flow test by storing and releasing water slowly. The section could combine Rock Crete or another permeable base with an open-graded stone reservoir sized by the engineer.

Buffalo projects that suit a permeable section

• Nonprofit, church, school and hospital campuses in the Rain Check priority basin with large paved areas.
• Adaptive reuse of warehouses and factories along the Buffalo River and in the East Side, using underdrains where fill rules out infiltration.
• Courtyards and walkways in new mixed-use projects that need site plan review.
• Residential driveways and yards in neighborhoods like Elmwood Village and North Buffalo, kept on private property.

The Green Code says practices in the public right-of-way may not treat runoff from private property. Homeowners only wanting to restore a worn slab, with no stormwater goal, can see our Buffalo concrete resurfacing page.

Review in Buffalo and Resin Rock's part

Site plan review is decided by the Zoning Administrator for minor projects, such as parking lots of 6 to 49 spaces, and by the City Planning Board for major ones, such as lots of 50 or more spaces or new buildings of 5,000 square feet or more. The Buffalo Sewer Authority sets SWPPP requirements, accepts alternative practices and can grant exemptions where standards cannot be met. Larger disturbances also need state construction permit coverage. A New York licensed engineer or registered landscape architect must stamp the SWPPP, and the owner must keep up maintenance and five-year certifications. Ask Buffalo Sewer early whether it accepts a resin-bound surface course as porous pavement.

Resin Rock supplies the binder, stone blends, trims and Rock Crete, plus data sheets for the SWPPP. We do not install; we match owners with an approved installer and train New York crews through installer training. Grants, credits and approvals are decided by the city and Buffalo Sewer.