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Control
floods with geotextile cofferdams: Portable water barriers provide
an alternative method of preventing costly property damage. He said that fabricated dams were a sturdier, simpler and quicker means (than sandbags) of constructing temporary barriers that increased the levee’s height, which protected hundreds of homeowners’ properties. Simkins explained that it took four men less than an hour to lay out a 100-ft-long, 18-in-high AquaDam®. In contrast, the same amount of flood protection from sandbag walls would have taken three hours, with at least one 14-man crew at work, the water barriers meet EPA guidelines and comply with the Clean Water Act, both additional benefits. “With this product, you don’t have deteriorated sandbags on top of your levee. Once the product is gone, it’s gone. You don’t have to clean up the area; the natural vegetation comes right back.” In addition to their environmentally friendly nature, Simkins cited portability and disassembly as very desirable benefits of the dams. During the most recent floods, as water receded, Simkins said that dams were easily deflated and moved from point to point. “I’ve taken down as much as 800 feet in a day and re-installed as much as 600 feet in the same day, using a four-man crew in each place,” noted Simkins. “It would take you at least two days just to install 800 feet of sandbags. When you’re in a flooding situation, time is everything.” According to Simkins, another advantage of these water-filled sock-like structures is that following their use, they can he air-dried (if desired), then rolled up, stored and reused on other projects. "We've done this the last two times we’ve used them, but once you’ve used sandbags, they’re gone.” Geotextile flood barriers in British Columbia.
In early 1999, as she listened to the spring forecasts and considered all the snow in the mountains near White Pines Resort in Sicamous, B.C., Manager Deb Burey was understandably concerned about flooding. With 800 feet of beachfront property and 24 duplex units situated close to the water, Burey’s concerns were justified. She went online to investigate flood protection systems. While a 10,000-sandbag dam had kept White Pines dry in 1997, the sandbagging was time consuming and expensive, and it took a massive effort by homeowners and local volunteers to complete. Not only was Burey concerned for her own homeowners, she also had to consider the owner of a neighboring property whose land bordered White Pines. Because of the neighbor’s higher elevation, her options were either to dam around the property, or in front of it. This became a delicate situation. While the property owner had opted to participate in the 1997 dam project, the residue left from
left behind sandbags created tension. Burey wanted to avoid this problem. The solution she found was a water-filled barrier, the same product that had successfully protected a neighboring lakeshore resort during prior flooding. Time was critical. Burey monitored rising waters via the Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) Web site and continuous radio announcements. She was determined that once the water reached a certain point, the dams would he installed. She based her calculations upon how much time would be required to install the dams and how many feet of the barrier would be needed. When announcements confirmed that rising water would exceed the 1997 level, Burey had to move quickly. By the second day the AquaDams® were in place, the lake reached flood level. Due to the ease of assembly, however, crews were able to track the water closely and make the installation decision at the critical time. Burey said it took just one day to complete the installation of 2,000 ft of geomembrane water-filled dams, compared to five or six days for previous sandbag damming, depending upon available help. In addition to the efficiency of setup, teardown was also excellent. Crews dismantled some higher sections earlier, and the entire AquaDam® was separated over a three day period. The water was pumped back into the lake; the dams were rolled up and removed. This time, White Pines’ neighbor was thrilled with the cleanup. It required no action on his part and was completed immediately after the lake receded below flood level. Total cost for flooding and related expenses was at least 50% less than 1997 sandbagging costs, Burey noted, but 1997 costs did include some pre-installation excavation for a required two ft berm. Burey cited another benefit of the AquaDams® versus sandbags; protection against wave action created by boaters and ongoing storms from the lake. The configuration of a sandbag dam determines its durability. Continuous pounding of waves threatens both durability and stability. Burey felt no concern about collapse with the water barriers, which she said moved with the waves. Her biggest worry was not whether the dams would hold, but how high the water would rise. That is an unpredictable element in all flooding situations.
Kathleen Landis is a freelance business writer who contributes primarily to consumer business, and trade publications. Industries she has covered include aerospace, engineering, energy, construction and technology. |
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