Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
John Hollenhorst ReportingExperts have been conducting an unusual scientific test in the last few days. They're trying to lick a problem that often makes homes extra expensive in rapidly growing parts of the St. George area.
They're punching holes in the ground and injecting a brew of chemicals. It's an effort to beat a problem you may never have heard of, swelling soil.
Lloyd Richmond, C.S.T. Stabilization: "The goal is, if the swell potential goes down as we expect, that we might be able to assist many of the developers and land owners in the area."
It's known locally as 'Blue Clay'. Geologists call the stuff Expansive Soils. They exist in many places but are especially problematic in southwestern Utah.
Lloyd Richmond: "In the presence of water, they'll actually expand. The blue clay is actually very expansive."
Just what you don't need in one of the fastest growing parts of the country is soil that grows too, sometimes by as much as 20 percent, right under somebody's house.
Hoby Breckenridge, C.S.T. Stabilization: "And that causes a swelling, which can cause all kinds of problems for concrete structures and roadways."
Injections have worked in other parts of the country, stabilizing the clay electrochemically. It may be a cheaper alternative for developers who otherwise would have to use expensive construction methods to defeat the Blue Clay.
Lloyd Richmond: "So this is another quiver, another arrow in the quiver, for a soil engineer."
It's not just an academic issue for experts. Blue Clay problems in the St. George area sometimes add $20,000 to the cost of a home. Soil samples from the test will be analyzed at a laboratory. Results are expected in a few weeks.
