Did You Know | CONCRETE WASHOUT SYSTEMS

Green Construction - The Environmentally Conscious Choice

Construction sites have long been identified as one of the largest contributors to urban runoff pollution.

Did you know that unused concrete at construction sites could be contaminating your water and turn, the wildlife and vegetation?

Concrete washout wastewater is caustic and considered to be corrosive with a pH over 12, essentially the same as Liquid Drano®, Ammonia or other household cleaning detergents.
pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The pH scale goes from 0 to 14, where 7 is neutral. A change in one pH unit means a tenfold change in concentration, similar to the Richter scale and measuring earthquakes.

What are the EFFECTS of high pH levels?

The effects of high pH on fish may include: DEATH; damage to outer surfaces like gills, eyes, and skin.

The effects of high pH on vegetation may include: inhibited growth, damage to soil and plants and substantial alteration of the soil and plant chemical composition even after the pollution source is gone.

So, what can YOU do to help?

Call your town’s building inspector! --if you’re aware of construction that is happening in your neighborhood. Ask them if they are using a Concrete Washout System.

Concrete Washout Systems portable, self-contained, watertight roll-off bins are used on construction sites to control, capture and contain concrete washout and runoff and then take the excess materials to be recycled.

Websites of interest:
http://www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/concretewashout.pdf
http://www.njhighlandscoalition.org/
http://anjec.org/
http://www.hackensackriverkeeper.org/
http://www.usgbcnj.org/
http://www.anjee.net/