http://www.newsreview.com/chico/Content?oid=575797Paving the way
A new Chico State program educates students on the eco-wonders of concrete
By Monica Unhold
This article was published on 10.04.07.
Chico State's Concrete Industry Management program is housed within the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Construction Management. For more information visit www.ecst.csuchico.edu.
Sharp-eyed students may have noticed subtle changes in the terrain of the Chico State campus recently. In some areas, flat pavement that once pooled up with rainwater has been replaced with a rougher variety that allows water to pass through it.
The new surfaces are the work of Chico State's Concrete Industry Management program, which is making its presence known by swapping out some of the campus' conventional concrete for a more eco-friendly variety, pervious concrete.
Along Big Chico Creek, for example, several parking spaces behind Glenn Hall have been repaved. The area was the ideal place to lay pervious concrete because of the way it soaks up water, allowing it to drain back into the soil, said Dirk Vanderloop, academic coordinator for the CIM program.
The special concrete forms an environment for bacterial microbes that can digest many toxins, thus preventing them from reaching the groundwater, Vanderloop explained. In the parking spaces, the new surface will filter out any oil or other harmful fluids that collect, allowing the clean water to filter down into the creek.
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