House Spending Bill Includes Funds to Study Crumbling Foundations
WASHINGTON — The National Institute of Standards and Technology could get a boost in funding to develop a cost-effective and standard method for testing the soundness of concrete foundations under legislation approved in the House this week.
The $4 million provision was added into the broader spending bill by U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, who spoke about as many as tens of thousands of homeowners in Connecticut and Massachusetts experiencing crumbling home foundations due to a naturally occurring mineral called pyrrhotite.
“The crumbling foundations crisis has impacted our friends and neighbors in eastern Connecticut — many in my own neighborhood — and it’s had a major financial impact on local municipalities as entire schools now will be closed for repair due to crumbling concrete foundations,” he said.
The crumbling is thought to be caused by pyrrhotite that was found within the aggregate from a quarry that has since been closed. The chemical reacts with water and sunlight to cause the concrete to crumble over time.
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