How to prevent soil contamination at slab / pavement interface?
How to prevent soil contamination at slab / pavement interface?
(OP)
We are preparing a site plan for an auto body facility that will have a paint booth inside. At the roll-up doors nearest the paint booth, there is a concern (from the City Engineer) about contaminants seeping into the soil where the building slab meets the site pavement. The City Engineer is suggested a liner be placed below the pavement at this location to contain any contaminants that are spilled in this area.
This seems a bit backwards to me, in that there is no way to recover the contaminants from this location short of demolishing the pavement. I would think it better to ensure a tight joint that will exclude any contaminants in the first place from getting under the pavement. Any thoughts or experience with this type of thing is appreciated.
This seems a bit backwards to me, in that there is no way to recover the contaminants from this location short of demolishing the pavement. I would think it better to ensure a tight joint that will exclude any contaminants in the first place from getting under the pavement. Any thoughts or experience with this type of thing is appreciated.





RE: How to prevent soil contamination at slab / pavement interface?
One thing I don't know about is the chemistry - is there a problem with paint solvents on the polymer in the waterstops? In days of old, waterstops were made of copper, which would not have that problem with organic solvents, but would likely be more prone to tearing.
RE: How to prevent soil contamination at slab / pavement interface?
You are correct that any small amount of contaminants that get down into the joint cannot be easily recovered. However, this requirement (by the city) seems like a bit of overkill to me. I don't think it will be a significant problem as there shouldn't be a lot of spills in the vicinity of the roll up doors and recovery of those spills would not likely be done anyway.
RE: How to prevent soil contamination at slab / pavement interface?
If you have to put a liner and cannot get away with a small bump/berm, you can put the liner underneath the concrete with a slight slope into a small monitor well, which can be as simple as a 1-2" pipe. This can be sucked every time it fills.
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RE: How to prevent soil contamination at slab / pavement interface?
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RE: How to prevent soil contamination at slab / pavement interface?