stormwater

Recycling Shingles | Earth Wise

May 27, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Every year in the US, about 13 million tons of asphalt material is removed from old roofs to be replaced with new shingles. Only about 10% of that is recycled for use in paving and various roadway projects. The other 12 million tons of asphalt ends up in landfills where it takes a very long time to break down.

GAF, the largest roofing manufacturer in North America, has developed a shingle recycling process for which it has received three patents. The process involves grinding torn-off shingles into a refined material which can then be introduced into the shingle manufacturing process. The material – referred to as RAS for recycled asphalt shingles – has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of virgin asphalt needed to make new shingles.

Tests by GAF reclaimed upwards of 90% of the waste shingle material and produced new shingles containing up to 15% recycled content. Underwriters Laboratories certified the shingles containing RAS material with regard to their safety and effectiveness. The GAF process opens to door to creating a circular, sustainable economy for asphalt used for roofing shingles.

Roofs play an important role in the transition to a green economy. Apart from recycling asphalt shingles, there are increasing options for solar shingles, which take the place of both traditional asphalt shingles and ordinary solar panels by integrating them into a single roofing product. There are also so-called green roofs, which replace conventional roofing materials with a contained green space atop a building. Such roofs provide stormwater management, cooling, and an interesting aesthetic.

All aspects of buildings play important roles in our environment – even their roofs.

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5 Ways Roofers Can Celebrate Earth Day, Everyday

Photo, posted April 15, 2012, courtesy of Robert Taylor via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Road Salt Pollution

January 8, 2020 By EarthWise 1 Comment

Mirror Lake is a popular recreational lake located in the Village of Lake Placid. It is the most developed lake within the Adirondack Park, which is a publicly protected area that is actually larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Parks combined.

New research has revealed that road salt runoff into Mirror Lake is preventing natural water turnover which poses a risk to the balance of its ecology. The study, which was published in Lake and Reservoir Management, found that road salt runoff is preventing spring mixing of the water column. This creates more anoxic water conditions, meaning there is less oxygen in the water, and limits the ability of the habitat to support the native lake trout.

Mirror Lake is the first lake in the Adirondack Park to show an interruption in lake turnover due to road salt. Many lakes in northern climes experience so-called “dimictic turnover”, which is a natural process where wind and less stratified water conditions of spring and fall allow mixing of the water column that redistribute oxygen and nutrients throughout the lake. High levels of surface-water chloride introduced into the lake from road salt runoff inhibit the mixing of the water column.

The lack of mixing and oxygenation is bad news for fish species such as lake trout, which require cold, oxygenated water to survive. It may also put the lake at a greater risk of algal blooms.

Mirror Lake is small, surrounded by concentrated development, and receives the direct discharge of stormwater. So, it is particularly vulnerable to road salt contamination. Other lakes elsewhere in New York may experience similar conditions. The researchers are confident that natural turnover conditions could be restored to the lake if road salt application in the watershed is reduced.

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Road salt pollutes lake in one of the largest US protected areas, new study shows

Photo, posted January 5, 2018, courtesy of MTA of the State of NY via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Lake George Health Report

December 26, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The Offshore Chemistry Program, run by the Darrin Fresh Water Institute at RPI, has been monitoring the deep waters of Lake George in New York for 40 years. Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is famed for the transparency of its water and a new report on the health of the lake reveals that it is doing rather well.

According to the report, although concentrations of chemicals and pollutants like salt and nutrients have increased in the deep waters of Lake George, they are still too low to harm the ecosystem at those depths.

The Offshore Chemistry Program studies the lake as part of a collaboration between RPI, IBM Research, and the FUND for Lake George that is called the Jefferson Project. This long-term commitment provides a wealth of information over time matched by few lake studies in the world.

The recent results show that levels of salt, the nutrient orthophosphate, and chlorophyll have increased substantially over time, but none are yet at a level that will cause harm.

Orthophosphate occurs naturally, but most likely the higher levels are due to improperly functioning septic systems, failing wastewater treatment systems, and stormwater runoff. The orthophosphate most likely triggered the increase in chlorophyll, which probably is associated with increased density of chlorophyll in individual algal cells, rather than an increase in total algal mass in the lake.

Overall, the results demonstrate the continuing resilience of Lake George to a growing array of stressors. In nearly 40 years of human activities, the lake has changed in a number of ways, but the changes have so far been relatively small. With such careful monitoring, we can hope to keep them that way.

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Four Decades of Data Sounds Early Warning on Lake George

Photo, posted September 24, 2009, courtesy of GPA Photo Archive via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Cleaning Up Storm Water

October 4, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Storm water reclamation is an important activity for cities with limited water resources, such as those in Southern California. Many places have small-scale reclamation efforts using rain gardens and bioswales. Collecting storm water on a large scale faces a number of problems.