When city water systems have waterproofing failures, there is a domino effect that can be catastrophic to a community.

Way back in 2008, a New York aqueduct was found to have leaking cracks in its external concrete liner ,  located beneath the towns of Wawarsing and Newburgh. 15 million to 35 million gallons of water DAILY were leaking out of the aqueduct, and at the same time homes in the same area began to experience flooding. The city’s Department of Environmental Protection asked the U.S. Geological Survey to investigate a relationship between the flooding homes, and the external membrane failure in the aqueduct.

They released the first study January and found that the leaks DID in fact create or exacerbate flooding for Wawarsing residents during periods of high precipitation. If this wasn’t bad enough, they also released a study on water chemistry which found that water from the aqueduct had leaked into a well, contaminating the drinking water.

The city was forced to put up $3.7 million for a home buyout and a further $12.5 million for home repairs and a water district extension. This doesn’t even include the cost to repair the aqueduct itself, plus all the water testing and initial investigation into the flooding.

This problem often occurs when hard to reach external membranes reach the end of their life span. These membranes are very difficult and expensive to replace, and often are not done so until problems begin to occur, sometimes resulting in even more cost.

Why is Krystol Internal Membrane a better solution? Over time, KIM will only INCREASE its effectiveness. KIM will last the lifetime of the concrete structure, and will continue to form crystals as water is introduced. The crystals, once formed, are permanent.  KIM is also safe to use with well water, and has been used in many LEED projects.

When building a concrete structure, a longterm look could save your reputation down the road.