The Port Covington Triangle Park, part of the Baltimore Peninsula urban renewal project that is currently revitalizing South Baltimore, Maryland, was completed in November 2023. PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline concrete waterproofing admixture, was specified to ensure a durable and waterproof concrete mix for the Park’s concrete stormwater retention tank.
The neighborhoods around the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River in South Baltimore were long considered a “dumping ground” cut off from the rest of Baltimore – and the water – by highways and railroads. Today, they are being transformed by the Baltimore Peninsula urban renewal plan into “Baltimore’s next great waterfront.”
South Baltimore is less than two miles south of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor; the Baltimore Peninsula project, centered around the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, is a 235-acre site with over 2.5 miles of restored waterfront. The project’s Port Covington area comprises up to 18 million ft2 (1.64 million m2) of mixed-use development, including office buildings, retail spaces, and residential units – and the Port Covington Triangle Park, a 40-acre park and green space area.
The Park features a playground with slides, a jungle gym in the shape of a blue crab, additional outdoor playground equipment, a plaza with benches and canopy shade structures, and extensive landscaping. A comprehensive stormwater drainage system was included in the park’s overall design.
Because of the proximity of the stormwater retention tank to the Patapsco River, a reliable concrete waterproofing solution for the concrete structure was required. Penetron USA provided Hord Coplan Macht, the project designer, with performance data and references thanks to similar stormwater projects successfully completed with PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline concrete waterproofing admixture.
“Hord Coplan Macht then specified PENETRON ADMIX SB and a PVC waterstop product for the concrete stormwater holding tank structure. However, construction joint leakage problems arose during construction,” explains Richard Farmer, Eastern Regional Sales Manager for Penetron USA. “The local Penetron team got them to switch to PENEBAR SW swellable waterstop strips and our tie hole waterproofing system (a combination of PENETRON, a topically-applied crystalline waterproofing material, and PENECRETE MORTAR, a crystalline waterproofing repair grout) – and the leakage issues were resolved.”
Vulcan Materials, the ready-mix concrete supplier, added PENETRON ADMIX SB to around 1,500 yds3 of concrete for the stormwater retention tanks.
Added to the mix during the batching phase, PENETRON ADMIX SB-treated concrete is impermeable, stopping water and harmful elements from entering the concrete, even under sudden hydrostatic pressure usually encountered within the stormwater retention tank. Its ability to permanently self-heal any microcracks mitigates concrete deterioration for the life of the concrete – an important aspect for an underground water storage facility.
“Whiting-Turner, the general contractor, also appreciated the favorable costs and visual quality control feature of the green tracer found in the bleed water that confirms PENETRON ADMIX SB is mixed into the concrete,” adds Richard Farmer.
