There are materials out there that are almost as hard as asphalt but are pervious. These materials are ideal for walks and bikeways in all climates. But I have a concern: Will these materials stand up to freezing, thawing, and snowplowing in Northern climates? When I was growing up, a lot of businesses had gravel parking lots and usually by early spring they were a mess, because the gravel got mushy when it thawed, which caused ruts, and much of the gravel was scraped off by snow plowing. I know the modern materials are much better, but...

The Romans built roads by constructing deep layers of gravel and stone to stabilize the surface. This was expensive, labor intensive and very time consuming. But it was excellent road building and some of the ancient Roman roads are still in use. McAdam was a Scotsman who invented the modern system of making roads waterproof to prevent them washing away in the rain. It is relatively cheap and effective. Making roads penetrable to water with a thin surface makes them vulnerable to washing away.

Cut way down on your water usage, (fix dripping facets, toilets, washing cars replace older toilets with the new ones that use 1 gallon flush, do dishes by hand, install flow restrictors, do not let kiddies (kids and others) play with water hose) clean water and pump into lake that will leak into aquafers