Preserve the Environment and Project Peace by Covering Drains Before Sealing

While much of the asphalt industry knows we use safe products when sealing pavements, much of the public does not know this. (There are a handful of tar-based sealcoat products still allowed in some counties, but we’re going to ignore those for this tip.)

A contractor in the Northeast used a bio-based fogseal to preserve pavements on the island of Nantucket a few years ago and took an extra, unnecessary step, of cover the storm drains first. They didn’t need to cover storm drains to prevent runoff or overspray from getting into waterways because the material they used was deemed safe for the environment. But they were sensitive to the optics. Members of the public have been conditioned to fear anything unknown draining into waterways, so the crew wisely covered drains before spraying even a harmless, bio-based fogseal near them.

Do you have a preservation project coming up that will involve spraying tack, sealer, release agent or the like? Consider not just the environmental implications of the material you use, but the optics of your project preparation as well. If you need to, feel free to send this tip to a project manager on your team!

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