Water Bleeding and Pumping
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Checked against its sources by licensed professional engineers on the previous site, where reviewers weren’t recorded by name.
On this page · 4 sections
Description
Water bleeding (left two photos) occurs when water seeps out of joints or cracks or through an excessively porous HMA layer. Pumping (right-most photo) occurs when water and fine material is ejected from underlying layers through cracks in the HMA layer under moving loads.
Problem
Decreased skid resistance, an indication of high pavement porosity (water bleeding), decreased structural support (pumping)
Possible Causes
Several including:
- Porous pavement as a result of inadequate compaction during construction or poor mix design
- High water table
- Poor drainage
Repair
Water bleeding or pumping should be investigated to determine the root cause. If the problem is a high water table or poor drainage, subgrade drainage should be improved. If the problem is a porous mix (in the case of water bleeding) a fog seal or slurry seal may be applied to limit water infiltration.
Teaching this? Figures and worked examples are free to use with credit. Course reading lists
Cite this page
APA
Pavement Interactive. (2026, November 1). Water bleeding and pumping. HeadLight. Retrieved [the date you read it], from https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/pavement-management/pavement-distresses/water-bleeding-and-pumping/
ASCE
Pavement Interactive. (2026). “Water Bleeding and Pumping.” HeadLight, <https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/pavement-management/pavement-distresses/water-bleeding-and-pumping/> ([the date you read it]).
BibTeX
@misc{pavint-water-bleeding-and-pumping,
author = {{Pavement Interactive}},
title = {Water Bleeding and Pumping},
year = {2026},
publisher = {HeadLight},
howpublished = {\url{https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/pavement-management/pavement-distresses/water-bleeding-and-pumping/}},
note = {Accessed [date]}
}