Leaks per hectare detected for liners placed on different countries and facilities

摘要

Although geomembrane liners are perceived as 100% leak free, reality is that leaks have been found at almost every single liner that has been tested for. The big difference is whether the leaks are detected at an early stage, e.g. by using Electric Leak Location (ELL) technologies during liner installation, or in the case of single lined ponds and at a very late stage, e.g. high concentration of chemicals of concern (COC) at downgradient monitoring wells. In the first case, the remedy is quick and relatively inexpensive, with almost no consequences. In the second case, the remedy might not be even feasible, neither affordable and the mine might face closure or penalties for environmental pollution and/or facility failure.Based on a number of ELL projects executed by the authors during the last 5 years in South America and North America this paper provides a benchmarking of current liner installation practices, showing number of leaks detected on each facility by country / region, type of facility and liner installation stage.