PRIMER: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR MATERIALS ON SURFACE AND GROUND WATERS

This primer concisely describes a new testing technology developed in National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 25-09, "Environmental Impact of Construction and Repair Materials on Surface and Ground Waters," to realistically measure how common highway construction and repair materials may affect surface and ground waters in environments surrounding highway rights-of-way. It uses nontechnical language to explain to executives and managers in state highway agencies, material supply firms, and the highway construction industry (as well as to the general public) how the test methods and supporting computer software can provide answers to questions about the environmental impact of new construction or the rehabilitation or repair of existing highways with a variety of materials, including aggregates, fly ash, bottom ash, asphalt, bricks, concrete, mine wastes, shingles scrap, foundry sand, scrap tires, slag, sulfate wastes, and wood shavings.