Silver Spring, MD - The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) and the Portland Cement Association (PCA) have once again combined efforts to offer the seminar Pervious Concrete - A Stormwater Solution in four additional cities in 2008. The seminar has been offered in 28 cities over the last two years. New seminars are scheduled for:

• November 18 - St. Louis
• December 5 - Boise, ID
• December 10 - San Francisco
• December 16 - Albuquerque, NM

These one-day programs provide detailed instruction on how to implement pervious concrete pavements as a solution to reducing stormwater runoff from building sites and other paved areas. Attendees will learn the details of pervious concrete pavement systems, engineering properties and construction techniques. This course will help civil engineers, architects, landscape architects and public works officials develop details and write project specifications for pervious concrete pavement systems. Contractors, product suppliers and land developers will also benefit from this seminar.

Pervious concrete is a performance-engineered concrete with a 15-30% void system that allows rainwater to percolate through it. When pervious concrete is used for parking areas, streets, plazas and walkways, it minimizes stormwater runoff to surrounding streams and lakes, allowing for natural filtration to recharge local groundwater supplies.

Although pervious concrete has been used in some areas for decades, recent interest in green building and recognition of pervious pavements by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a best practice for stormwater management has heightened interest in its use throughout North America. Its use supports national initiatives such as Cool Communities and Low Impact Development and provides a potential for credit in the LEED® rating system for sustainable building construction. Pervious concrete reduces the need for expensive stormwater drainage and wet pond retention systems, thereby allowing for more economical and beneficial land use.

Two of the following qualified instructors will present the program:

• Bruce K. Ferguson - Franklin Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Georgia
• Heather J. Brown - director and associate professor, Concrete Industry Management, Middle Tennessee State University
• Lionel Lemay - senior vice president, technical resources, NRMCA
• Erin Ashley - director of codes and sustainability, NRMCA
• Nathaniel Mohler - concrete engineer, PCA

Attendees earn six Professional Development Hours upon completion of this program. This seminar is registered with the American Institute of Architects' Continuing Education Systems. The registration fee is $295. Registration can be completed online at www.nrmca.org/seminars or by contacting NRMCA's Jessica Moore at 240-485-1152 or by e-mail, jmoore@nrmca.org.

The seminars are being offered in cooperation with national sponsors NRMCA and PCA. Local partners include the California Nevada Cement Association, Concrete Council of St. Louis, Concrete Promotion Council of Northern California, New Mexico Ready Mix Concrete & Aggregates Association, Northwest Cement Producers Group, Rocky Mountain Cement Council and South Central Cement Promotion Association.