Case Study: ArmorLiner 40

TUMBLER RIDGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

The Details 

• Application: Installation of geomembrane as an environmental protective liner for coal and byproducts used to extract it. Addition of two freshwater lagoons.
• Product: AquaMaster® ArmorLiner™ 40 geomembrane liner
• Quantity: 717,000 ft² (66,600 m²) installed of ArmorLiner 40. Also installed was 1,200,000 ft² (111,500 m²) of 16 oz/yd² (450 gsm) Non-woven Geotextile.
• Contractor: BTL™ Liners
• Install Time: 9 days (September 2012)

Large quantities of coal extracted from the mining site

The Background

A coal mining operation near Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia needed an environmentally responsible solution for housing large quantities of coal extracted from the mining site. The primary site is approximately 454,500 ft² (42,224 m²) and has been designed to prevent the infiltration of toxic chemicals from coal and byproducts into the soil.

Because of site specific requirements the mine required two additional large lagoons approximately 140,000 ft² (13,000 m²). The first lagoon is designed to house fresh water used in the mining process and the second lagoon is used for holding excessive groundwater created from the horizontal shaft being drilled in the side of the mountain.

The Challenge 

The site would experience extreme environmental conditions

The intended lifespan of the project is ten years and the unique location of the mine meant that the installation site would be exposed to wide ranging environmental conditions. In Northern British Columbia the site would experience temperatures ranging from a high of 95°F in the Summer months (35°C) and lows of -60°F (-51°C) in Winter months. Additionally, the site may experience up to 120 inches (300 cm) of snow load during heavy snow periods. These requirements meant that Intertape Polymer Group®’s (IPG®) AquaMaster® ArmorLiner™40 would be the perfect product for the job.

The Solution

For the coal containment pond, the design involved a detailed layering process. First the subgrade was smooth drum rolled and a 16oz/yd² (450 gsm) non-woven geotextile was installed with ArmorLiner 40 on top of it. Above the geomembrane was an additional 16 oz/yd² (450 gsm) non-woven geotextile and finally 18” (46 cm) of soil was placed on top.

For the freshwater lagoons, the subgrade was smooth drum rolled with ArmorLiner 40 geomembrane installed on top, but in these areas the geomembrane was left exposed. Each pond included two turbidity curtains across the 200' length to help settle out silt and solids in the water.

The IPG Advantage

The project was initially specified with the use of 40 mil HDPE. The ArmorLiner 40 was ultimately selected because of its superior physical properties, low cold crack numbers, and expedited installation.

ArmorLiner 40 was selected because of its
superior physical properties

By using ArmorLiner 40, approximately 90% of the seaming could be completed in advance at the BTL™ facility in Bend, Oregon. This translated to exceptional savings for the customer by reducing the amount of work that had to be completed in the field. The truckload quantities of prefabricated panels were being delivered sequentially while installation technicians were on site.

Moreover, Northern British Columbia is prone to snowfalls in September so the expedited installation reduced the risk of prolonged weather delays.*

*Over two feet of snow fell a few days after the installation!

Learn more about IPG’s AquaMaster products: Call 1-800-565-2000 or visit itape.com/aquamaster.

Case Study: ArmorLiner 45L

RECLAIMED WATER STORAGE POND, HOLLISTER, CALIFORNIA 

The Details 

Site ready for installation of geomembrane pond liner

• Application: Reclaimed Water Storage Pond
• Location: Hollister, CA
• Product: AquaMaster® ArmorLiner™ 45L geomembrane pond liner
• Quantity: 210,000 sf
• Owner: San Benito County Water District
• Engineer: Dahl Consultants Folsom, CA
• Contractor: Auburn Constructors / ECApplications

The Customer 

The San Benito County Water District has a mission to preserve the economic and environmental health and well-being of San Benito County through the control, management, conservation of waters and the provision of water services in a practical, cost-effective and responsible manner. Therefore, they are taking a proactive approach to protecting the water throughout the area. Part of this approach was construction of a large pond to handle reclaimed water from surface water runoff.

Anchor trench at top of pond to hold liner in place

The Challenge 

As the pond is adjacent to the San Benito River bed, most of the soils are a sandy gravel with trace amounts of silt which would not hold water. The engineers decided the pond needed to be lined, so they could prevent the seepage of water outside of the pond. The liner would need to be durable and have high puncture resistance, as the soils contained large amounts of rocks. The liner also needed to have excellent strength properties, so it could survive the environment and hold up on the steepened slopes of the pond.

The Solution

Engineers needed to choose a product with excellent strength. They chose IPG®’s AquaMaster ArmorLiner 45L for just this reason. IPG’s AquaMaster ArmorLiner 45L was chosen for its strength-to-weight ratio and was the best option for preventing punctures while continuing to support and confine the water.

The IPG Advantage

Completed pond ready for water

IPG’s AquaMaster ArmorLiner 45L was also chosen because of its ability to be factory fabricated into large panels. This would reduce the on-site installation time and the need for additional costly field seams, which would help the project be installed quickly and on time. The product was installed in October 2016 and took only one week to install. The speed at which these liners can be installed help keep the project on time.

References:
John Dahl, Dahl Consultants Folsom, CA
San Benito County Water District, Hollister, CA
Mark Hargrove, GEI Engineering, Rancho Cordova, CA

Learn more about IPG’s AquaMaster products: Call 1-800-565-2000 or visit itape.com/aquamaster.

A Year of Disasters – What Comes Next?

2017 has been a very tough year for the United States with weather-related damage and natural disasters impacting practically the entire nation. Flooding, hurricanes, fire, and tornadoes have impacted more than half the people in the US and its territories. Disasters like these inevitably lead to property damage and even worse–human and animal health problems such as “mold cold,” infections, antibiotic-resistant injuries, meningitis, Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and even PTSD.

Moody’s Analytics estimates that hurricanes Harvey and Irma alone may cost the US economy $150-200 billion in damage and lost productivity, not to mention health-related costs.

Remediation (abatement) and restoration companies are responding to these disasters. They are setting up temporary locations and fortifying existing locations in the areas impacted by the disasters. Response has been tremendous.

Cleaning up and providing adequate safety measures are essential to the response. Items such as polysheeting and tapes are used to help provide safe conditions and limit exposure by helping to contain the harmful toxins such as mold, asbestos (exposed in old building materials that have been damaged) and fungi. Versatile tapes such as duct tape, polyethylene (PE) tape and masking tapes are essential in hanging barriers, sealing containment areas and tying up bags filled with old building material and waste.

To learn more about the appropriate tape solutions to use in disaster clean-up, see IPG’s Remediation & Restoration page.

Jeff Coats

Director - Market Development
Intertape Polymer Group