PROJECT PROFILES

Lange Containment Systems, Inc. takes pride in fabricating and installing industry-leading containment liner solutions. This commitment to quality is experienced first-hand by our customers and evidenced in the work that we do.

It is always a privilege to profile projects that have made a difference in our customers’ lives and share creative ways membranes can be used for containment in any number of applications.

Learn more about LCSI’s containment liner solutions for:

SHASTA LAKE

Customer Need

Shasta Lake, located just north of Redding, California, USA, was experiencing issues when almost an entire generation of Chinook salmon died. The Bureau of Reclamation soon realized that the water flowing from Shasta Lake to the Sacramento River was warmer than usual. Endangered fish and fish eggs were dying because they were meant to live in colder water. The Bureau of Reclamation knew it needed a solution and contacted Lange Containment Systems Inc. (LCSI) to help remedy the problem.

Containment Solution

A baffle curtain system was proposed to prohibit warm water from flowing into the Sacramento River. LCSI’s containment solution would allow only cold water to pass through, helping to protect the fish population. LCSI was awarded the project and quickly got to work.

LCSI provided five large 45 mil reinforced CSPE/formerly Hypalon baffle curtains. The baffle curtains measure over 43 feet wide and 54 feet long. Once the order was received, it took approximately one week to complete fabrication. Less than two weeks later, the baffle curtains were installed and ready for use. Now, cold water is flowing into the Sacramento River, giving the endangered salmon a healthy habitat. LCSI was able to respond quickly while still fabricating a high-quality product.

AIMS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Customer Need

Aims Community College, located in Greeley, Colorado, wanted to increase their irrigation water storage capacity by reshaping and lining an existing pond on campus. After years of waiting, the project was approved, and ground breaking commenced in January 2015.

A dirt road next to a body of water.
A dirt field with a large amount of ground in the background.

Containment Solution

Lange was awarded the project at Aims Community College. The original design called for the use of a geocomposite drainage layer under and over the liner, but Lange Containment Systems’ experienced team knew that project access and design implications would pose a risk of possible damage to the PVC liner. This was brought to the attention of the project engineer, who later changed the specifications to exclude the geocomposite and substitute nonwoven geotextile at our recommendation. Our team proceeded with fabricating a 30 mil. PVC lining system accompanied by an 8 oz. nonwoven geotextile placed on top of the liner.

The installation was complicated by late Colorado spring snow and had to be rescheduled on a few occasions. Once the weather was no longer an issue, the Lange Containment Systems crew fully installed the 155,712 sq. ft. of 30 mil PVC and geotextile in just three days. LCSI met deadlines and time frames given by the owners and general contractors and exceeded their expectations. The project was completed in June 2015, and the pond is now successfully holding water--plus, the campus lawns are looking greener than ever. Thank you to all involved for making the project a success!

DIP CREEK RANCH

Customer Needs

The task of transforming a 20-acre sheep pasture into an exclusive million-dollar residential development is the type of challenging project Doug McCoy Construction of Twin Falls, Idaho, USA, loves. However, when the design called for an aquaculture system of membrane-lined lakes and stream beds capable of growing trophy trout, the company knew it would need a quality subcontractor to supply and install the liner. After researching a number of lining companies, LCSI was chosen for the project.

Containment Solution

Lange Containment Systems Inc. began the project by creating a panel layout that minimized field seaming and waste materials. Next, the 30 mil PVC product was made into large panels in LCSI’s fabrication factory using state-of-the-art radio frequency (dielectric) welding equipment.

Once the product was delivered to the site, LCSI personnel quickly followed a coordinated schedule with the contractor. This allowed the installation crew to arrive on site and begin installation as soon as the substrate was prepared. The installation crew’s high productivity maximized the on-site time, allowing for an efficient and worry-free installation.

After the liner was installed, the crew from Doug McCoy Construction placed the required cover materials on the liner. After filling the lakes and landscaping the shores, Dip Creek Ranch residential development was ready for home construction on a beautified property.

SALT LAKE CITY AIRPORT

Customer Need

In preparation for the onslaught of visitors attending the 2002 Winter Olympics, the Salt Lake City International Airport was humming with activity. One of the main infrastructure improvements was the implementation of a collection, storage, and recycling system for aircraft deicing fluids. Ethylene glycol, the major component of deicing fluid, can be problematic as a run-off pollutant. In addition, Salt Lake City International Airport wanted to control odor and protect waterfowl from open ponds. The airport and its consulting engineer, CH2M Hill, required a design/build plan for three impoundments consisting of liners and floating, totaling roughly 654,000 square feet.

Containment Solution

Lange Containment Systems Inc. was selected to design the project using XR®-5 8130 geomembrane from Seaman Corporation. The floating cover design incorporates a rainwater collection system with an active pumping and discharge piping system, as well as maintenance walkways and access hatches.

Using large prefabricated panels and shop-customized components, LCSI completed the lining and floating cover system installation on schedule. LCSI successfully met the challenge of providing a low-profile, economical containment system that will protect the surrounding ecosystems for years to come.

LCSI received an Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) Award of Excellence for the Salt Lake City International Airport deicing fluid storage and recycling ponds.

PALAU SEMAKAU LANDFILL

Customer Need

The Semakau Landfill is Singapore's first and only landfill situated offshore among the southern islands of Singapore. It was designed to replace a facility nearing capacity. The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, along with the National Environment Agency, manages the landfill. An extremely durable liner was needed so that waste from the landfill would not leak and damage nearby marine life.

A beach with people walking on it and waves coming in.

Containment Solution

Lange Containment Systems Inc. was awarded the project to fabricate the liner for the first ocean-based landfill. During the design phase, it was determined that the high-strength reinforcement and seams of XR®-5 would be able to withstand the constant abuse from the saltwater ocean on one side and the landfill system on the other side.

Seaman Corporation’s XR®-5 liner was chosen to provide protection for the ocean, and LCSI was selected to do 100% of the XR®-5 fabrication. To speed installation and raise quality assurance, the XR®-5 was factory-fabricated into large panels.

While fabricating the 7.3 million square feet liner, LCSI maintained high quality and production and met all shipping schedules and deadlines on time. Every seam produced for this project was tested in-house at Lange’s QA/QC laboratory, as well as double-checked by Seaman Corporation and on-site inspectors for the Singapore government.

Special care was taken to ensure that the landfill wastes would not contaminate the pristine ocean waters surrounding Singapore by ensuring the integrity of the impermeable liner. The ocean made installation challenging, but the XR®-5 is in place and performing perfectly, proving that LCSI’s fabrication of the appropriate product can solve even the most difficult containment problems.

ZORTMAN/LANDUSKY MINE RECLAMATION

Customer Need

Zortman/Landusky Mine is part of a historic mining district in north-central Montana, USA. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) jointly oversees the reclamation of the Zortman/Landusky mine in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Zortman/Landusky mine needed three new 11 million-gallon lined ponds to treat the gold heap-leach pad solution.

A white circle with an image of someone in the middle.

Containment Solution

Spectrum Engineering, the BLM’s engineer, oversees the 1,200-acre Zortman and Landusky gold mines under contract to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Spectrum Engineering, which has used Lange Containment Systems Inc. since 1999, awarded LCSI the Zortman/Landusky Mine Reclamation project.

LCSI fabricated and installed approximately 350,000 square feet of 45 mil reinforced polypropylene geomembrane and 12 oz. geotextile underlayment for this project. Each treatment pond also contained 28 sand-filled ballast tubes and 28 berm vents.

Within just one month of being awarded the project, LCSI was on-site completing the installation of prefabricated panels into the treatment ponds. After the liner was installed, but before water was added, 60+ mph heavy winds tore one of the three pond liners. Because LCSI is committed to customer satisfaction, we immediately dispatched a four-person crew back to the site to assist Spectrum Engineering with repairs and absorbed 100% of the cost of the patching effort (even though we were not responsible for the damages).

MINNEQUA RESERVOIR

Customer Need

Minnequa Reservoir, located in Florence, Colorado, USA, had a storage shortage on its hands. The original clay lining system that was installed during the 1970s failed, and Minnequa Reservoir was not able to take full advantage of its storage capacity. The City of Florence worked with a local engineer and Lange Containment Systems, Inc. to design a liner system that would stand the test of time.

A white circle with an image of someone in the middle.

Containment Solution

LCSI began fabricating a 142,500-square-foot double-lined liner system. CSPE (60 mil) was selected as the primary membrane liner because of its quality performance record. Geocomposite clay liner (GCL) was also selected as a secondary liner material.

To minimize material waste, LCSI custom-fabricated 20 panels of varying dimensions. The GCL was installed first, quickly followed by panel after panel of 60 mil CSPE. LCSI’s installation crew was careful to efficiently install precise amounts of the GCL and then cover it with panels of CSPE to insure the bentonite within the GCL was not activated by possible moisture.

The project was complicated by a unique design feature at the Minnequa Reservoir--a bench dug halfway up the slope and around the entire perimeter of the reservoir to hold rip-rap on the upper half of the slopes. To overcome this challenge and protect against possible damage from rip-rap placement, LCSI installed geocomposite material over the rip-rap bench area of the pond to act as a sacrificial layer for the liner.

LCSI completed the liner system and all seam testing on schedule despite inclement weather conditions. Minnequa Reservoir is back in service and is performing as expected. The City of Florence is very pleased with the final product and the timely manner in which it was completed.