IMAGINE SWIMMING in a water so murky that you can hardly see your toes, a water laden with toxic algae, a water devoid of the marine life we know and love. This could be the reality of Bostonians within the coming years if stormwater runoff continues to pollute the Boston Harbor.

Impervious pavement, which prevents water from naturally seeping into the ground, allows water from storms to flow into the local waterways. This stormwater is often laden with garbage, nutrients, chemicals, and other pollutants that can negatively impact the health of the local waterways. The excessive amount of impermeable pavement in Boston enables an increased amount and flow of polluted stormwater into local waterways. This surplus of water can lead to flooding and catastrophic effects on infrastructure. To protect our waterways and houses, impermeable pavement in Boston must be replaced with a more eco-friendly permeable pavement.

Impermeable pavement began lining the roads and walkways of Boston since World War I. The production and use of impermeable pavement increased in conjunction with the automobile industry and has mostly been used to construct roads and parking lots, but is also used in walkways, driveways, and sidewalks. Impermeable pavement has been shown to increase runoff and associated pollution in local waterways and can lead to harmful algal blooms, organism dieoff, and unhealthy ecosystems.

In addition, impervious surfaces can superheat stormwater, leading to the mortality of aquatic organisms that are not adapted to these high temperatures. In fact, waterways near as little as 5 percent impervious surface cover can have decreased species biodiversity and abundance. Moreover, the Northeast has experienced the highest increase in heavy rainfall events out of any other region in the United States. Increased stormwater levels, in tandem with an excessive amount of impervious surface, will further exacerbate the runoff and pollution issue in Boston’s waterways. This issue will only continue to grow as storm events intensify and become more frequent due to climate change.

In addition to enabling the pollution of our local waterways, impermeable pavement can facilitate flooding and shoreline erosion. During heavy rainfall, the stormwater rapidly flows into the local waterway and greatly increases the volume of water in this area. This can lead to flooding, shoreline erosion, and property damage, leaving homeowners and business owners at risk. To preserve our houses and businesses, we need to transition towards a permeable surface-dominated urban city, and the time for action is now.

As business owners, homeowners, and citizens of Boston, it is our job to protect our beautiful city and its valuable resources. Permeable pavement, such as porous asphalt and pavers, have been successfully installed in several areas of Massachusetts. Fortunately, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu recently publicized the city’s first green infrastructure policy. The policy requires certain projects around the city to utilize green infrastructure, such as porous pavement and bioretention foliage, in an attempt to decrease stormwater runoff. However, this new policy is only a small step towards a sustainable future. The time has arrived to follow in the footsteps of Wu and begin expanding the implementation of eco-friendly pavement alternatives in the city of Boston. Replacing your impermeable surfaces with permeable surfaces, or choosing to install permeable parking lots, sidewalks, walkways, patios, and driveways are intelligent decisions that will benefit the health of our cherished waterways.

Ashley Rambo is a graduate student studying marine biology at Northeastern University.