Reservoirs and canals are essential water management assets which constitute vital parts of our built environment, providing us with drinking water, supporting irrigation as well as preservation and recreation. They are also widely used structures in the industrial, mining and energy sectors.
Building solutions
The Reinforced Earth® MSE technique is a tested solution for building basin containment for reservoirs. Building a vertical Reinforced Earth® wall or steep slope structure will dramatically reduce the volume of backfilling materials when compared with a traditional profile. Vertical facings allow to reduce the wave run up, damage to the lining and evaporation.
Our acclaimed design approach verifies internal and external stability, soil suitability, and can incorporate impervious barriers as well as the necessary permeability and erosion control aspects.
ArmaGreen® and ArmaStone® solutions are adapted to cases for which steep slopes are considered and provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to satisfy the requirements of the local community.
For sites which require to build in cut rather than in fill conditions, our precast concrete solutions TechWall™ and T-Wall®, can provide an adequate answer.
Protecting and preserving
When the reservoir or canal sides are sloped, the surface and internal stabilities of the banks must be guaranteed. In mild flow conditions, TerraGreen™ rolled erosion solutions allow for surface stability and vegetation growth.
In more aggressive conditions, TechRevetment™ formed concrete mattresses provide solutions to a wide array of hydraulic conditions and site requirements such as vegetation growth. Uniform section mattresses presenting a low coefficient of rugosity which reduces head losses are particularly well adapted to canals lining.
TerraAnchor™ soil anchors will provide anchorage of the erosion protection layers and ensure the internal stability of the banks. As for all geotechnical hydraulic structures, geotextiles are essential components for separation and filtration purposes. Our TerraTextile™ range of products addresses these issues.
Waterproofing
Our Reinforced Earth®, T-Wall® and TechWall™ retaining walls can be combined with UV resistant linings on their exposed faces to provide water tightness. Reinforced Earth also offers a solution for fitting a geomembrane on the back face of our Reinforced Earth® concrete panels, thus providing a waterproofing protected against nuisances such as floating debris, ice or vandalism on the exposed faces.
Geosynthetic clay liners are frequently used in reservoirs or canal applications and our TerraLine™ GCL products will answer the requirements of the projects.
Covering
In the instances for which canals have to be covered, TechSpan® precast arches are a straightforward solution which can be built without impairing the flow of water and which will bring all the benefits of precast systems in terms of speed of construction and impact on the environment.
TechBox™ culverts allow to build buried small section canals.
Industrial, mining and energy applications
Water management and irrigation are not the only users of reservoirs and canals.
Industrial and mining facilities may require water for their processes and generate liquid by products or wastes which need to be stored for treatment. Reinforced Earth® walls designed with geostrip soil reinforcements allowing for the use of chemically aggressive backfills, combined with Reinforced Earth waterproofing solution are an excellent fit for this type of application.
This solution is also well adapted to reservoirs built for environmental-friendly pumped-storage hydroelectricity schemes since vertical walls maximize the volume of water retained. The construction of elevated reservoirs built with Reinforced Earth® will also allow to increase the vertical drop between the upper and lower reservoirs and thus the energy production.
Related solutions
Reinforced Earth®
Reinforced Earth®
Our flagship technique, Reinforced Earth®, is based on the principle of the friction between soil and reinforcements creating a permanent and predictable bond. At the origin of all mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls on the market today, we are continuously perfecting this ingenious technique.
ArmaStone®
TechWall™
TechWall™
A precast retaining wall system, TechWall™ combines the advantages of counterfort with the quality and effectiveness of precast concrete. A great fit for sites with soil bearing capacities allowing for shallow foundations, TechWall™ can also be combined with piling solutions to accommodate different types of soil. Sustainable, cost-effective, and quick to install, TechWall™ may just be the ideal solution for your project needs.
TerraTextile™ W
TerraTextile™ W
Under the umbrella of TerraTextile™, our woven geotextile solutions address construction challenges associated with soft and poorly draining soils. The solution provides long term separation, filtration and hydrostatic pressure control that in turn constricts potential surface and subgrade deformations.
TerraAnchor™
TerraAnchor™
TerraAnchor™ is used for soil reinforcement applications. It is used for permanent and temporary stabilization of existing slopes and structures by using high tensile galvanized steel rods as soil reinforcement for permanent applications, or galvanized steel strands for temporary applications. Reinforced Earth provides a range of anchor load capacity selections that reach up 15-tons and driven to variable depths.
TechSpan®
TechSpan®
Resulting from decades of research and development, TechSpan® is a buried precast concrete arch system designed to accommodate high fills, heavy live loads, and alternating loading conditions. With a small footprint and easy and quick to install, TechSpan® is ideal for mining, industrial, and railway applications, it is gaining popularity in many different markets. See the many uses of our precast arch system.