Impermeable liner systems: myth or reality

摘要

In a landmark 1984 paper, Dr. J. P. Giroud showed that all geomembrane liners leak, and that liner systems were required to minimize that leakage (Giroud 1984). He further asserted that the industry needed to develop standardized Quality Assurance plans and procedures. Since that time, liner systems and comprehensive Quality Assurance Plans have become the standard throughout the world, and landfill liner system performances have been so well documented that liner systems are now widely considered to be safe, dependable, and protective of the environment. Nonetheless, although engineers often use phases such as "minimal leakage", few engineers venture that liner systems do not leak at all. This paper examines the most recent technology, and presents a quantified analysis which shows that modern double liner systems can have very high probabilities of zero leakage and often do not leak at all. Such an analysis can greatly facilitate the regulatory permitting process, and, in some cases, can mean the difference between permit issuance and denial.