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’Sand-tight geotextile’ cited by Dutch water boards
“Vertical sand-tight geotextile,” an entry submitted by the Rivierenland Water Board in the Netherlands, won a 2013 Water Innovation Award in the “Dry Feet” category.
A press release from award organizer waterinnovatieprijs reported that the judges described the geotextile produced by TenCate Geosynthetics as “the most innovative idea that can be used within the duties and responsibilities of Dutch water boards.”
The award ceremony, organized by the Dutch water boards, took place Dec. 10 at Fort Voordorp, Netherlands.
The press release noted: “Piping is a major failure mechanism in dykes, in which water seeps through an embankment, dyke or other engineering structure as a result of a huge difference in the level of the water on either side. The flow of water under the dyke may be so great that sand boils that carry along sand particles occur on the polder side of the dyke.
“Because sand is carried along with the flow, ’pipes’–tubular openings–are created under the dyke that may cause it to burst. Vertical sand-tight geotextile is an innovative preventive measure used to avert piping. Together with Deltares, the Department of Waterways & Public Works in the Netherlands, TenCate Geosynthetics and others, the Rivierenland Water Board has developed and tested this vertical sand-tight geotextile.”
The release described the protective principle of the vertical sand-tight geotextile: “based on the fact that the geotextile filter allows water, but not sand, to pass through. A pipe which develops on the polder side is stopped by the geotextile, thus ensuring that the sand remains trapped under the dyke and that piping cannot occur … the innovative technique was derived from TenCate Geotube technology.
“ … by combining this geotextile preventive measure with TenCate GeoDetect technology, the functionality of the filter is combined with sensors, which monitor the stability of the dyke.”
The press release said that three other awards were presented Dec. 10 in the categories “Water in the neighborhood,” “Enough water,” and “Clean water.”