Lagoon Liner, Berm and Embankment Integrity
A lagoon's containment is its most important asset, and the one an operator can most easily
protect by routine attention. A liner failure releases partly treated wastewater to
groundwater; a berm failure releases the whole contents at once.
Liner types and how each fails
- Compacted clay or soil liners. Rely on low permeability achieved by compaction. They fail
by desiccation cracking if allowed to dry out, by erosion at the waterline, and by
penetration from roots and burrowing animals.
- Geomembrane (synthetic) liners. Very low permeability. They fail at seams, by
puncture from equipment or debris, by wind uplift where exposed above water, by
ultraviolet degradation of exposed material, and by whales - gas or water trapped beneath
the liner lifting it into a bubble.
- Composite liners combining both, ofte