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Located on the northeast plains of Colorado about 80 miles from Denver, Fort Morgan offers nearly 11,000 residents a beauti- ful, quaint setting to call home complete with a historic downtown business and entertainment district. However, as a home-rule mu- nicipality that oversees all utilities, Fort Morgan is responsible for addressing frequent flooding caused by heavy rains, and snow and ice melt that are common each year. After years of repeated damage to storefronts, the City of Fort Morgan executed the Downtown In - frastructure Improvement Project in 2009 to minimize the negative impact of flooding on businesses and visitor traffic on Main Street in the downtown district. The Downtown Infrastructure Project significantly upgraded a va- riety of important structural and aesthetic city elements including roads, sidewalks and surrounding landscaping that are vulnerable to damage caused by uncontrolled flooding, but are also critical to the overall downtown experience. However, it all started with replacing the drainage system that was not only outdated, being over 40 years old, but was significantly undersized for the area. "The main objective of our Downtown Infrastructure Project was to resolve recurring flooding issues by replacing the aging under- ground infrastructure in one of the oldest streets in the city," said Public Works Director Brad Curtis, PE. "We elected to incorporate permeable interlocking concrete pavers into the design to help re- duce the need for peaks and valleys along the roadway normally re- quired for positive drainage flow. As well, we assumed these would also reduce the potential for icing, all while enhancing the downtown Fort Morgan Raises Bar on Waste Water Management Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement from Pavestone Helps Alleviate City's Flood Problems By Tom Schnetzler, Pavestone Sales Representative in Colorado Top: The city of Fort Morgan, Colo., experienced regular flooding caused by both rain and snow melt. To solve storm water issues and revitalize the historic Main Street, 18,000 feet of Pavestone Eco Priora 8 cm permeable pavers along Main Street were installed. Winter blend and limestone colored pavers were used to differentiate parking spaces and street markings. Already, sudden downpours that would have previously caused flooding have cleared the new drainage system with ease. Left: Every week, the city uses vacuum street sweepers to clean the permeable pavers without damaging joint aggregate, which preserves the integrity of the stormwater management system and reduces long-term maintenance cost. 14 LC DBM Hardscapes (Continued on page 16)