The West Coast Pervious Concrete Contractor
Making Gray Concrete Environmentally Green
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NRMCA
GREEN: < Middle English grene < Old English 1. a color like that of an emerald 2. a grassy lawn
3. being a good steward of the Earth's natural resources
Who we are, What we do:
One contractor wanting to make a difference, supplying green thoughts in a gray, hard climate. Our company has a general engineering "A" license with the State of California, and with the new NRMCA requirements, we are certified at the "Installer" level to place pervious concrete, experienced in making projects environmentally advantaged. Saving developers hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs while creating additional land use that doesn't effect the hazardous "first flush" runoff.
We can assist in the design and implementation of stormwater management practices recognized by both the Federal and State EPA for your project, in the public or private sector. We have assisted in the promotion of this dual-use system with Public Agencies and the training of other contractors through the NRMCA.
How to decide who to use:
When considering the unique properties of pervious concrete, not all contractors have equal experience, it is in the best interest for all involved that only NRMCA certified contractors be used. Review the contractor's "means and methods" to ensure yourself you have selected the best contractor available. We have been certified since June 2006 and have completed a number of projects in the Sacramento Valley, Lake Tahoe and throughout the State.
NRMCA certification is mandatory on many projects involving pervious concrete. Because of the lack of standardized tests for quality control and acceptance of pervious concrete, it is critical that whoever is making the decisions for acceptance of both the fresh concrete, and the finished pavement, that they are qualified to do so. The NRMCA program is slated to become part of the ACI Certification program, according to their Committee 522.
Why Pervious Concrete:
Being green is no longer just a fad and technologically cool, it is imperative.
Pervious Concrete has its first recorded use about 100 years ago in Europe, as a way to pave under tree drip lines on dirt. It became a "pavement" in Florida in the early 1980's.
People quickly saw the advantages of having a rigid permeable pavement, and it was placed in applications of 6" for light vehicular applications and 8" thick for heavier traffic placement per industry consensus.
More recent applications, under the mandates of the EPA and "sustainable-building", is to place pervious concrete over a layer of clean crushed gravel / stone. The stone acts as a base for the pavement and as a reservoir, not unlike a retention pond, only not open on the surface, allowing natural percolation to occur and recharge the aquifer. This is defined as a "dual-use" application.
The U.S. Green Building Council is a national coalition of construction industry entities promoting environmentally responsible and healthy places to live and work. The LEED program also uses a process called commissioning to determine how different sections of a building function together as a whole for optimal energy efficiency.
Pervious Concrete is recognized as a pavement material within the LEED program that meets several of the requirements for certification. When used correctly, multiple credits may be achieved towards a LEED Certification.
Low Impact Development is a technique to capture water on site, pass it through permeable pavements or vegetation, and let it soak, or perk, into the ground where it is filtered and can recharge the local water table rather than being lost as polluted surface runoff. After all, isn't RAIN a natural resource we should preserve?
According to the EPA, pollution treatment in parking lots using the dual-use system during the "first flush" of a 1/2" to 1" of seasonal rainfall into our stormwater runoff, removes more than 80% of the hydrocarbons and heavy metals left behind by vehicular parking on hardscape surfaces commonly used today. This water then flows into our streams, rivers, lakes and ponds.
Recharging the Aquifer - Pervious Concrete allows the volume of 3" to 12" of rainfall per square inch per hour to pass through the concrete. Use of the dual-use system to percolate the rain resource back into the local water supply is done naturally.
Cool Communities programs work to reduce energy consumption and increase air quality. Pervious Concrete is less dense (15 - 25%) and is therefore not able to absorb and store as much heat as conventional asphalt.
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2007 Enviro-Crete, Inc. All rights reserved.