THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 7, 1995 TAG: 9509070470
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT HARPER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
A crowd of politicians, engineers, contractors, environmentalists and curious nurses gathered outside Sentara Bayside Hospital on Wednesday to witness a new phenomenon in environmental protection.
Meet the porous parking lot.
The hospital became the first business in Virginia to construct a parking lot of ``pervious concrete,'' a material that looks like a huge batch of Rice Krispies treats but, more important, acts like a big pollution sponge.
The new-age concrete, developed by Tarmac America Inc., allows rain water, oil, sediment, dirt and other contaminants to seep through tiny cracks and soak into the ground, where such wastes and runoff can disperse naturally.
Until now, parking lots and driveways made of hard concrete or asphalt have simply whisked pollutants into storm drains, which in turn empty into nearby rivers and streams and damage water quality.
At the hospital, storm water runoff that otherwise would wash into the western branch of Lynnhaven River will be reduced by 40 percent, said June Barrett-McDaniels, of Aquarius Engineering, who designed this so-called parking lot of the future.
``This really is a new way of looking at this pollution source,'' she said after a demonstration Wednesday, in which 1,400 gallons of water were poured onto the lot from a dump truck, leaving only a small wet mark and no runoff.
Officials expressed hope that other local business owners and developers will use the material, which emerged as an environmental tool in Florida in the mid-1980s in response to tough new regulations against storm runoff.
One problem is expense. The hospital spent about $90,000 for the 6,000-square-foot lot - or about $50,000 more than what concrete would have cost, said Mary Lucas Blunt, vice president of administration for Sentara Southside Hospital.
But the material should save money in the long run, Blunt said, since Sentara did not have to buy land to build a storage pond for excess storm water, which was the other environmental alternative.
State Rep. Howard Copeland, D-Norfolk, chairman of the House committee on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, was so impressed by the technology that he suggested Virginia discuss a statewide mandate for pervious concrete at new development projects.
Likewise, Virginia Beach City Councilman Robert Dean said he would review an ordinance in Winter Park, Fla., that requires new driveways to be built with the material. He said he may propose similar legislation here.
Dean recalled how he tried to persuade city engineers several years ago use pervious concrete to pave a city-owned parking lot on 25th Street, but was rebuffed.
``They said it was too expensive and would only last for a while,'' Dean said.
Solomon Barco knows a little about the material, too. Two years ago, he became the first homeowner in Hampton Roads with a pervious-concrete driveway.
Actually, he had no choice. The city of Norfolk said that, to comply with a Chesapeake Bay preservation law aimed at controlling intrusive shoreline development, Barco had to spread the rocky material while building his new home on Broad Creek.
``Originally, I wasn't too pleased with them telling me that,'' Barco said this week, ``but now, I can agree with them. Everything's been fine. I like the stuff.''
He said he was worried about the concrete chipping away easily or becoming clogged with dirt and silt. But ``none of that has happened,'' Barco said. ``At least not yet.''
Frank Daniel, regional director for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, said that before he embraces the technology, he would like to see test results on how the concrete stands up to Virginia's climate and overcomes silting problems.
``This stuff is so new, there's still a lot of questions,'' Daniel said.
Tarmac officials say they have plenty of answers. Hardy Johnson, Tarmac's vice president, said the company delayed marketing its product in Virginia for three years, until tests and refinements could be made.
``We think this represents the future,'' Johnson said. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
JOHN CORBITT/Staff
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
by CNB