Real estate
Round Rock resident Arjun Okkath always dreamed of having a backyard pool, but since buying his rst Texas home in 2022, that dream has crumbled. Within a few months, Okkath learned he was among thousands of Central Texas pool owners burdened with the same defect—”concrete cancer.” Primarily found in Austin-area pools built between 2017 and 2023, alkali silica reaction, also known as concrete cancer, is a defect in concrete mixtures that causes the shell of a pool to weaken and crack. The issue has become so widespread that multiple pool builders in the area have gone bankrupt, leaving families without a ordable repair options. “The most practical thing for us to do at this point is to just ll the hole,” Okkath said. In Travis and Williamson counties, hundreds of lawsuits are piling up as pool owners seek legal recourse against their builders and subcontracted concrete suppliers. “The multimillion-dollar question at the heart of ongoing litigation is who is responsible; where in the supply chain did something go wrong?” said attorney Michael Lovins. Suits pile up over crumbling pools
Warning signs of ASR
Cracks with white or brown gel oozing out
Pool tile separation
Lowering pool levels or leaks
Flaky concrete surface
SOURCES: JOHN FORD OF FRONT2BACK CUSTOM, JONATHAN BROWN OF CLEAR REFLECTION POOLS, PAX POOLS COMMUNITY IMPACT
The concrete process
The impact
How we got here
Step 1
ASR is not typically isolated to one area, so most pool repairs involve a complete rebuild of the concrete shell, which can cost more than double the original price of a pool, pool builders and concrete experts told Community Impact . While there are visual signs of ASR, John Ford, a pool expert with Front2Back Custom, said the only way to confirm its presence, especially for legal purposes, is to drill out core samples to be tested in a lab, which can cost thousands.
Ford said most pool builders had never heard of ASR before the 2021 freeze, when extreme temperatures revealed the first signs of the defect. “ASR is a chemical reaction between the concrete ingredients gone wrong,” said Juan Armenta, a researcher with Texan Concrete Construction. “It’s nothing new, and it’s not just pools. It’s affecting sidewalks, driveways, patios, foundations, but it’s accelerated because of the warm water in pools touching the concrete 24/7.” One theory is that concrete mixtures received an insufficient amount of fly ash—a material that strengthens concrete. Fly ash is created from burning coal, but due to recent Environ- mental Protection Agency measures, Texas production has dwindled, making the material harder to come by, Armenta said. Another possibility, Armenta said, is the problem originated from sand pits in the Bastrop area, hence why the cases are mostly isolated to the Central Texas region.
Fly ash is created by burning coal
Fly ash is mixed with water to make cement
Step 2
Sand or gravel aggregates are harvested from pits
Step 3
Concrete companies mix the aggregates with cement
Average repair cost
Repair type
Cost
Step 4
Epoxy membrane (short- term waterproofing) Fiberglass replacement (long-term) Complete reconstruction of in-ground concrete pool
$8,500-$10,500
Pool builders subcontract the concrete companies
$15,000-$25,000
Step 5
$60,000+ (depending on size)
Concrete is shot out of high pressure hoses to form pool shells
Full demolition + ground refill
$5,000-$20,000
SOURCES: FRONT2BACK CUSTOM, CODY POOLS, PAX POOLS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCES: JUAN ARMENTA, TEXAN CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
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