Concrete riprap usually consists of slope paving of 4 to 6-inches in thickness. Concrete riprap ordinarily is not recommended for embankment slope protection for highways within a reservoir. This is because the hydrostatic head that can exist in the embankment after it is wet cannot be relieved adequately through the concrete riprap. The riprap may bulge and fail because it does not have the structural integrity necessary to withstand the hydrostatic head of the trapped water.

Concrete riprap can be useful for short sections when placed on a bed of coarse filter material with numerous drain holes located in the riprap, and in an area where the embankment does not have standing water on the slope. There should not be constant differentials in the water surface that might cause prolonged periods of wetting and drying of the embankment.