PROJECT SUMMARY
A large Oil & Gas producer in the Fox Creek, Alberta, area required two water reservoirs to provide fresh water to their regional drilling program. The site locations had a high water table and needed a system that would allow the groundwater to be pumped off. Given the high water table, there was a possibility for differential settlement and the need for a rapid drawdown of the fluids contained within the reservoir. The Owner needed a high-performance geomembrane with enhanced performance properties.
Solution
The Project engineer and Owner worked with the Layfield technical resource team to design a system that incorporated a geocomposite sub-drain system that utilized a Geocomposite 330-2-8 in one reservoir and a Geocomposite 220-1-8 in the second reservoir. In addition, a high-performance geomembrane, Enviro Liner® 6060, was selected due to its enhanced performance properties. These performance properties included improved multi-axial elongation, enhanced anti-oxidant package to improve UV stability, and improved material weathering warranty in an exposed application. Combined, both reservoirs had a geomembrane-covered surface area of 280,000 m2.
Installation
The general contractor completed the necessary earthwork and construction of the reservoirs. The construction process took longer than expected due to the discovered groundwater issues. As a result, the installation of the geosynthetics system was delayed into early December. Given the snow, frost, and extreme cold during the installation process, the first reservoir was completed before the Christmas break, and the second reservoir was completed after the Christmas break. The winter conditions were mitigated by completing the installation and testing of each layer daily. This meant that an area didn’t need to have snow removed from on top of the geomembrane after a snowfall event which could’ve caused damage to the already installed materials.
Results
Installing the geocomposite sub-drain system and the Enviro Liner® 6060 was a success. The geomembrane also demonstrated good flexibility in extremely cold conditions, and our technicians could seam and install this material at very low ambient temperatures. The project team was pleased with the overall installation of the system as well as its continued performance.
