How to create a natural-looking pond with a geomembrane liner
September 27th, 2021
Constructing water pond with a geomembrane in Sweden. Photograph courtesy of BTL Liners Not all lining material is created equal. Although preshaped rigid liners exist, they are not normally what you would choose for your fish-stocking pond. No matter how small or large the pond you have in mind, your best option today is flexible […]
Seattle awards Layfield with large CSPE floating cover project
August 18th, 2021
Photograph courtesy of Layfield USA Corp. Layfield USA Corp. announced the award for the supply and installation of a new chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE) liner and floating cover system for the Seattle Public Utilities Lake Forest Park Reservoir project in Washington State. The project is a unique and challenging double reservoir system with 60 million gallons […]
Geomembranes for reinforcement?
April 1st, 2021
Q: We are using Robert Koerner’s Designing with Geosynthetics to calculate the required thickness of a geomembrane. See Figure 1 and Equation 1 from the book for details. Figure 1 Equation 1 Can you point us in the right direction with the mobilization distance, x? A: Yes, please see Figure 2 for high-density polyethylene (HDPE). […]
Installing a geomembrane low to high gradient?
April 1st, 2021
Q: We are a large liner installation firm that has been asked to install a geomembrane liner from low gradient to high gradient. Is this the new normal? A: This is not normal, and we suggest you strongly object to this recommendation. There are many stakeholders in regard to panel layout (i.e., installer, general contractor, […]
Geosynthetics for Maaden Phosphate Tailings Pond
March 22nd, 2021
In phase 2 of this expansion project, Solmax provided 9,687,519 square feet (900,000 m2) of flawless double-sided, textured FrictionFlex geomembrane for new tailings ponds at a fertilizer plant in Saudi Arabia. The geosynthetics underwent stringent testing by the client and were found to be ideal. Maaden Phosphate Co., a joint venture with Saudi Basic Industries […]
Conductive liner for a copper mine reservoir
February 5th, 2021
At a large copper mine in the U.S., a lined stormwater reservoir needed to be constructed for containment of runoff and process water. The integrity of the reservoir liner was critical as failure could result in contamination of groundwater. Solmax installed a double liner system, using Leak Location Conductive liner. This would ensure reliable electric […]
CCR landfill final cover test pad—Part 2
October 1st, 2020
By Nina J. Balsamo, John Massey-Norton, John R. Klamut, Terry Queen,Charles F. Straley and Mark R. Lehner FIGURE 1 Test pass of loaded 45-ton (40.8-tonne) truck over 3 feet (0.9 m) of cover soil on bench An integrated drainage system (IDS) geomembrane, which provides both a low-permeability membrane and drainage space above the geomembrane, is […]
CCR landfill final cover test pad—Part 1
August 1st, 2020
By Nina J. Balsamo, John Massey-Norton, John R. Klamut, Terry Queen,Charles F. Straley and Mark R. Lehner An integrated drainage system (IDS) geomembrane, which provides both a low-permeability membrane and drainage space above the geomembrane, is being used in the final cover at a coal combustion residuals (CCR) landfill in West Virginia. Part 1 of […]
Test method for determining leakage through imperfections in GMs of a composite liner system
June 1st, 2020
George R. Koerner This article describes a large-scale test method intended to determine the leakage through imperfections in a geomembrane (GM) under a given head. It can be used as a performance test to simulate field conditions where the GM is physically breached. The test method places a GM test specimen of 2 feet (0.6 […]
International Achievement Awards
April 1st, 2020
Recognizing design excellence in geosynthetics The International Achievement Awards, sponsored by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), recognize innovation, technical skill and design excellence in geosynthetic applications. The awards are an annual competition promoting awareness of the specialty fabrics used in thousands of products and applications ranging in size and shape. For more than 70 […]