New form of concrete in use

Severe storms can bring serious flooding.

In an effort to prevent major flooding to areas, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management has issued grants for pervious concrete to be poured in Alabama.

Franklin County Watershed Coordinator Robert Clement said pervious concrete is concrete that allows water to run through it, therefore reducing the run off of storm water.

“With regular concrete, the water has nowhere to go and runs off in the ditches and on the roads causing a flood problem in areas during rain downpours,” Clement said.

“Pervious concrete allows the water go through it and back into the soil reducing rain water run off.”

Franklin County is one of the first counties in north Alabama to have a section of pervious concrete.

“We had the concrete laid at the sale barn [Northwest Alabama Livestock Auction] as an example for the concrete since it’s really new,” Clement said.

Alabama Concrete Construction laid the new material and Blue Star supplied them with the  product.

“This is very different from regular concrete,” Clement said. “It has to have special rocks underneath and everything.”

Clement said pervious concrete looks almost like a Rice Krispies Treat where regular concrete pours in to a solid slab.

“You can pick this concrete up and roll it into a ball before  it dries,” Clement said. “You can’t do that with regular concrete.”

Clement said the texture of the concrete is due to the different materials used to make it.

“There’s no sand in this concrete,” Clement said. “It’s  mainly made of small rocks and concrete dust.”

Clement said the sample at the sale barn would allow farmers to see how it works.

“This is so new few people have seen it.”

Clement said there would be a demonstration of the concrete on  Thursday, May 20 at 9:30 a.m. at the sale barn.

“We will not  only be showing the concrete. We will be showing farmers different services they can get through our office to help them,” Clement said.