
May 15, 1998

Aggregate shortage, permitting problems concern industry

BY BENJAMIN MINNICK
Construction editor

One of the continuing concerns facing the local concrete industry is a lack of aggregate supplies and the difficulty getting permits for new sources.

Bruce Chattin, executive director of the Washington Aggregates and Concrete Association, said there is not a shortage yet. But, he warned the active construction market is depleting existing resources at a faster rate and a long-term solution needs to be found.

Chattin said his organization has been working for the past four years to get the Legislature to improve the permitting process for new sources, but has met opposition from the Governor's office.

Last year, after the Governor vetoed House Bill 1472, WACA formed the Mineral Lands Advisory Committee to help find resolutions in the permitting process and make suggestions for improving it. The committee was made up of members of the environmental community, citizens, local and state government representatives and members of the concrete industry.

In the fall of last year, the committee gave its final report to the Land Use Study Commission, the Governor's select committee on land use and GMA issues.

"We really did pretty well," Chattin said. "We didn't come up with earth-shattering prospects that would solve all problems, but we did identify small steps that we could take to preserve the existing process while adding some consistency and predictability for industry and citizens.

"Unfortunately, all those recommendations didn't make it into bill form," he said. "The governor's office has been reluctant to sign the bills the Legislature passes."

Chattin said they were encouraged by the solutions they came up with. "We put a lot of time and effort into it. I hate to see it wasted," he said.

Chattin said government hasn't been entirely detrimental to the concrete industry.

"I think we're starting to see more counties and cities take a closer look at concrete pavings," Chattin said. "I think they are willing to consider more options.

"The public as a whole is fed up with not only congested roadways but the condition of the roads," he said.

Chattin said public demand for better roads, combined with the government looking at life-cycle costs instead of initial costs, is helping raise interest in using concrete over asphalt for roads.

Other concrete products that are gaining interest include ultrathin whitetopping, "no fines" concrete and insulated concrete forms for buildings.

Ultrathin whitetopping is a maintenance procedure which adds about 3 inches of fast-track concrete over asphalt. It creates a 5,000 to 8,000 psi mix that can be opened to traffic in just 24 hours. Chattin said it combines the best of both concrete and asphalt pavement worlds.

No fines concrete is a mix with reduced sand content that creates a porous surface, which acts like a sponge to absorb water. When used for surfaces like parking lots, no fines concrete can eliminate the need for stormwater basins due to its water absorbing characteristics.

Chattin said insulated concrete forms are not only gaining more acceptance with the public for homes, they are becoming more popular with commercial developers. The forms are polystyrene blocks that are stacked, tied together and then filled with concrete to form sturdy walls with high R-values.