Geomembranes to increase safety and reliability of dams, and to allow early

impoundment of reservoirs
John Cowland, Gabriella Vaschetti, Alberto Scuero
Carpi Tech, Switzerland

Summary
Leakage through a dam can affect its efficiency if not become a threat for the integrity of the
structure. Geomembranes have been used for more than half a century to control seepage in
dams, and can be essential in ensuring safety, reliability and efficiency of dams and of all
types of hydraulic structures. Geomembranes are manufactured in a controlled factory
environment starting from a mix of polymeric resins and additives, which is extruded to form
thin, flexible films that are practically watertight. They have been used in rehabilitation of
all types of dams, in the dry and underwater, to line the entire upstream face of the dam, or
only the area(s) causing most seepage, or only cracks or failing joints. In new construction,
they are used in embankment dams and in RCC dams, as an upstream water barrier or as an
external waterstop for joints between face slabs in CFRDs or for joints between monolith
blocks in RCC dams. This paper focuses on new construction, where the geomembrane can
be applied on the upstream face, in an exposed or covered position, and also in embankment
dams as a geomembrane core. The paper discusses the available options, presents typical
case histories, and addresses the benefits that geomembrane systems can provide.

1 Introduction
Geomembranes are a mature technology: they have been used to control seepage in hydraulic
structures starting in the late 1940s in canals, and at the end of the 1950s in dams, to provide
a water barrier to the pervious body of new embankment dams. Starting from the 1970s,
their use has been extended to rehabilitation of all types of dams. These successful
installations helped to build trust in these synthetic materials and their use was extended in
1990 to the construction of Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) dams. Nowadays,
geomembranes are increasingly being selected as an alternative to more traditional linings
in RCC and embankment dams because they are a safer and more cost-effective
waterproofing solution. The geomembrane can be exposed or screened by a cover layer. The
first set-up has the major benefit that the geomembrane can be easily inspected and, in the
unlikely case of damage, it can be repaired by cutting out the portion of damaged
geomembrane and placing geomembrane patches that are heat-seamed to the rest of the
lining, thus restoring its continuity. Methods have been developed for installing
geomembranes underwater, which bring the additional benefit of eliminating or minimising
disruption to the operation of the dam.
Successful performance of a geomembrane system depends on the physical and mechanical
characteristics of the geomembrane, but also on the design and installation. A material with
potential optimal characteristics will still perform badly if the geomembrane system is not
properly designed and installed. ICOLD in 2010 published Bulletin 135 [1], providing
guidelines for designing geomembrane systems and making recommendations for
specifications and contracts. According to the database created during preparation of the
Bulletin, polyvinylchloride (PVC) geomembranes are by far the material with the oldest and
widest experience in rehabilitation as well as in new construction, in exposed as well as in
covered position. The advantages of such geomembranes, and of the numerous systems that
have been developed for using them for construction of new RCC dams and new
embankment dams, have been widely discussed in international literature [2, 3]. The case
studies described in the paper are all projects where the waterproofing material is a
SIBELON® geocomposite, formed by heat-bonding a SIBELON® PVC geomembrane,
plasticised with high molecular weight branched plasticisers, to a non-woven needle-
punched polypropylene geotextile.
Geomembrane systems are the most sustainable waterproofing technology for dams. They
do not require heavy installation equipment or large excavations and processing plants for
materials; the components of the system have small volume and light weight, so that
transport by helicopter to remote sites not accessible by vehicles is feasible at reasonable
costs; environmental impact is very limited, since large areas for site organization and
construction plant are not needed, and there is no heavy transport affecting the environment
and the communities; installation is quick and can be carried out in almost any weather
condition.

2 Geomembrane systems as upstream water barriers in new RCC dams

This section discusses how a safer and more cost-effective solution can be achieved when
the upstream face of an RCC dam is lined with an exposed geomembrane. The geomembrane
placed over the upstream face of an RCC dam permanently waterproofs the bulk RCC
material, the lift and construction joints, and any cracks that may develop. The cement
content can therefore be reduced, pozzolan or fly ash can be reduced or eliminated, and
requirements for placement and quality control of these materials can in general be relaxed.
Lower cement content results in lower production of hydration heat, thus the need to control
temperature with expensive cooling devices is reduced. GEVC (Grout Enriched Vibrated
Concrete) or GE-RCC (Grout Enriched RCC) can be deleted from the design, and horizontal
joint treatment or the bedding mix of lift surface areas can be reduced. Vertical waterstops
and drains can also be eliminated, because they are included in the geomembrane
waterproofing system. The overall result is that construction costs and construction time can
be remarkably reduced, and quicker filling of the reservoir and operation of the facility can
be achieved.
There are two main design philosophies when adopting a geomembrane as a water barrier
on an RCC dam: the geomembrane is installed on the completed upstream face, so that the
geomembrane will be in contact with the water of the reservoir (exposed geomembrane, first
project in 1990), or the geomembrane is embedded behind precast concrete panels that are
used as permanent formwork to build the dam, so the geomembrane will be permanently
embedded inside the dam body, sandwiched between the concrete of the panels and the RCC
(covered geomembrane, first application in 1998). The exposed configuration, the most
frequently adopted worldwide, including very high dams like Miel I 188 m high RCC dam
in Colombia and several RCC dams in South East Asia, is discussed here. The covered
configuration is used mainly in the USA where it was first conceived and patented.

2.1 Balambano, Indonesia 1999

The first application of a geomembrane waterproofing system on a dam in Indonesia was at

Balambano 99.5 m high RCC dam, owned by Vale (formerly P.T. INCO) to generate
electricity for their nickel production. The dam was constructed with about 72 kg of cement
and 48 kg of fly ash per cubic metre, a dry consistency, in 400 mm thick lifts. No forced
cooling was used, and the dam has a typical monolith joint spacing of about 45 metres.
Balambano has a lower gallery and an upper gallery. The waterproofing system was
conceived to allow its installation in two separate sections with a monitoring system divided
into seven compartments. The lower section, from the plinth to the upper gallery, is
monitored by measuring the drainage discharge into the lower gallery, and the upper section,
from the upper gallery to the crest, is monitored by measuring the drainage discharge into
the upper gallery. This design allowed installation of the waterproofing system concurrently
with construction of the dam. After RCC placement had been completed up to the elevation
of the upper gallery, and the formwork had been set in place above it to continue placing the
RCC, travelling platforms were anchored to the formwork structures and were used to install
the waterproofing system from the upper gallery down to the plinth, while placement of the
RCC was ongoing above (Picture 1).
The waterproofing liner is SIBELON® CNT 3750, a 2.5 mm thick geomembrane heat-
bonded to a 500 g/m2 geotextile. To resist the alkali environment of the surface on which it
is placed, the geotextile was manufactured from virgin polypropylene fibres. The
geocomposite is fastened to the upstream face by a patented system described in ICOLD
Bulletin 135, consisting of a U-shaped galvanised steel profile embedded in the RCC during
placement, and of an omega-shaped stainless-steel profile connected to it by a three-
component device. The waterproofing liner is squeezed between two profiles, whose
geometry performs a pre-tensioning effect that avoids future formation of slack areas and
folds that could be prejudicial to good long-term behaviour of the liner.

Picture 1. Balambano RCC dam: at left the waterproofing system under installation from the upper
gallery down to the plinth while RCC placement is on-going above, at right installation from the
crest down to the upper gallery, while conventional concrete works are on-going at the spillway

The waterproofing liner is sealed at all peripheries by a watertight seal of the tie-down type,
consisting of a flat 80 x 8 mm stainless-steel profile compressing the waterproofing liner
onto the concrete regularised with an epoxy layer; rubber gaskets and stainless-steel plates
to allow the even compression necessary for a watertight seal. The waterproofing works
were completed before completion of the conventional concrete works. The dam is subject
to floods, and to the action of floating debris. In the twenty years of operation that have
elapsed so far there has been no maintenance. The latest monitoring data available to the
authors indicate seepage varying from 0.012 l/s to a maximum of 0.965 l/s at full supply
level, through 15,490 m2 of geocomposite liner.

2.2 Karebbe, Indonesia 2011

Karebbe 73 m high RCC dam is also owned by Vale. Based on the satisfactory experience
with Balambano, both from the point of view of construction, which was completed with no
interference between civil and waterproofing works and on time, and from the point of view
of performance of the waterproofing system, Vale decided to adopt for Karebbe exactly the
same philosophy adopted at Balambano: an RCC dam of the low cementitious content type
(80 kg/m3 of cement), designed to be overtopped under large floods, with an upstream
exposed SIBELON® geocomposite.
The waterproofing geocomposite and perimeter sealing are identical to those of Balambano,
while the face fastening system has no embedded component: both U-shaped and omega-
shaped profiles have been installed on the completed upstream face. The drainage system is
enhanced by a drainage layer consisting of a highly transmissive geonet, Tenax CE 1000,
placed on the upstream face. As for Balambano, the height of Karebbe and the presence of
two galleries suggested dividing the installation of the waterproofing system in two
horizontal sections, one lower section from the plinth to the upper gallery and one upper
section from the upper gallery to the crest; and in total 7 compartments are separately
monitored. The final construction schedule foresaw raising the dam in monolith blocks,
starting at the right abutment, proceeding to the centre and ending at the left abutment. The
installation of the waterproofing system was adapted to follow this schedule (Picture 2).

Picture 2. Karebbe RCC dam: at left the geocomposite (grey) under installation on the drainage
geonet (black) on the right blocks, at right the waterproofing works being completed while concrete
works are still on-going

Installation of the waterproofing system on the upstream face started on March 17, 2011 and
was completed on June 6, 2011, while concrete finishing works were still ongoing: less than
3 months for a geocomposite surface of about 6,900 m2.

2.3 Susu, Malaysia 2015

Susu is a 90 m high RCC dam that is part of the Ulu Jelai Hydroelectric project. The original
design of the dam foresaw an RCC mix with a content of 100 kg of cement and 80 kg of fly
ash per cubic metre, and a PVC geomembrane attached to pre-cast concrete panels used as
formwork to place the RCC. This design was changed to an exposed, drained SIBELON®
geocomposite system installed on a full-face drainage geonet (Picture 3 at left) and anchored
to the dam face with the same system of tensioning profiles used at Karebbe, which allowed
lowering the cement content in the mix to 95 kg/m3 and removing the fly ash. Placement of
the 731,000 m3 of RCC, started in March 2014 and was completed in September 2015.
Installation of the geomembrane system, which was planned to match the construction
schedule of the dam, started in June 2015 and was completed in January 2016. The reservoir
was impounded shortly after the waterproofing works were completed.
The same system can be applied as partial facing: at San Vicente dam in the USA, the
geocomposite was placed on the 36 m RCC raising of the dam. The primary design objective
was for the dam to survive a large seismic event, remaining fully operational to provide an
emergency supply of water to the San Diego region. The geomembrane system was installed
on the raised part of the dam with the reservoir partially impounded (Picture 3 at right).

Picture 3. At left Susu 90 m high RCC dam in Malaysia, with exposed SIBELON® geocomposite as
upstream water barrier. At right San Vicente dam, with exposed SIBELON® geocomposite installed
on the RCC raising

3 Geomembrane systems as an upstream water barrier in new embankment dams

In new embankment dams, the design concept is to substitute a rigid upstream water barrier
(e.g. concrete) with a highly deformable exposed geocomposite, to construct a
Geomembrane Facing Rockfill or Earthfill Dam (GFRD or GFED) designed to
accommodate settlement and differential movements that can occur between the deformable
dam body and the concrete appurtenances. The SIBELON® geocomposite allows a very
simple layering for the dam: zoning is not strictly required, a single fill material can be used,
the thickness of the drainage layer can generally be reduced, and depending of the design of
the dam it can act also as a base/anchorage layer for the waterproofing geocomposite. The
available configurations of face anchorage are presented in the sections that follow.

3.1 Nam Ou VI GFRD, Lao PDR

Nam Ou VI, in the Lao PDR, is an 88 m high 380 m long rockfill dam with 1.6H/1V slope.
The original design envisaged a polyethylene geomembrane sandwiched between two anti-
puncture geotextiles, placed on a 3 m wide granular base layer, and covered by precast
concrete elements. A study carried out by the designers of the dam showed that the net
expected settlement and horizontal displacement due to the embankment load and the
reservoir hydrostatic head would produce deformations exceeding the resistance of a
concrete cover, possibly resulting in damage to the polyethylene geomembrane. The initial
solution was modified, eliminating the concrete cover and leaving the geomembrane
exposed. To ensure long-term successful performance in an exposed position, instead of a
polyethylene geomembrane, a SIBELON® CNT geocomposite was selected, consisting of a
3.5 mm thick geomembrane heat-bonded during fabrication to a 700 g/m2 nonwoven, needle-
punched polypropylene geotextile. The final design substituted the granular base layer with
a facing of extruded porous concrete curbs.
When the upstream base layer is made by extruded porous concrete curbs as at Nam Ou VI,
the anchorage system consists of geocomposite anchor strips embedded in the curbs, to
which the waterproofing geocomposite is heat-seamed while the embankment is being
raised. An anchor strip fixed to one curb overlaps the anchor strip fixed to the preceding
curb, and the overlapping strips are heat-welded to form continuous anchor lines (Picture 4).
Finally, the sheets of waterproofing SIBELON® CNT geocomposite are heat-seamed to the
anchor lines, to form a continuous impervious lining.
The geomembrane system was installed in three separate stages (Picture 5), following
construction of the dam, between July 2014 and April 2016, with a total of 37,900 m2
geomembrane installed in 74 days.

Picture 4. Nam Ou VI 88 m high rockfill dam: face anchorage with SIBELON® CNT geocomposite
anchor strips embedded in curbs. At right the geocomposite being placed on the anchor strips

Impoundment of the reservoir started after completion of Stage 2, in June 2015, less than
eleven months after construction of the dam body had started, providing the owner the
benefit of early protection from floods and early operation of the dam.

Picture 5. Nam Ou VI 88 m high GFRD. Installation of the geocomposite system starting at the
second stage (left) and completed (right)

3.2 Bulga GFED, Australia

If curbs are not used, the geocomposite anchor strips can be embedded in trenches excavated
in the base layer, as done at Bulga, a 460 m long and 17 m high zoned earthfill embankment
dam, designed for water storage within the expansion project of the Bulga Coal Mine in
Australia. From the two options considered in the original design, a zoned earthfill dam
comprising clay and lime-stabilised clay, and a zoned earthfill embankment with a
waterproofing geomembrane sealing system on the upstream face, the latter was selected.
The choice was made based on comparative costings, assessment of materials requirements
and sources, quantities, budget rates for civil works, efficiency and serviceability. At Bulga,
the anchorage lines are made of SIBELON® CNT geocomposite bands embedded in trenches
excavated in the subgrade (Picture 6). The waterproofing geocomposite consists of a 3 mm
thick geomembrane heat-bonded during fabrication to a 500 g/m2 nonwoven, needle-
punched polypropylene geotextile. A total of 12,150 m2 geomembrane was installed in 6
weeks.

Picture 6. Bulga GFED (Australia, 2016): face anchorage with SIBELON® CNT geocomposite
bands embedded in trenches
The same system was installed on the embankment forming the Kohrang head pond (Iran,
2004), on Murdhari GFRD (Albania, 2013), on the lower part of Runcu GFRD Romania
(2015), and on some of the slopes and inverts of the 18 Water Saving Basins of the Panama
Canal Expansion (2015).
Alternatively, in granular soils the anchorage can be made at points, by duckbill anchors or
by deep grouted anchors. Anchorage systems with deep anchors can be installed quickly and
without any inconvenience.

4. Geomembrane cores
Geomembranes used as a core can be in central position, or as an upstream diaphragm. At
Gibe III approximately 50 m high rockfill cofferdam in Ethiopia a zigzag central
geomembrane (Picture 7 at left) was preferred to a clay core and to a concrete or asphalt
concrete facing [4] respectively because of lack of availability in the zone of material suitable
for an impervious core, of safety (the impervious layer embedded in the embankment is safer
than any impermeable layer), simplicity (it would allow the realization of an embankment
of homogeneous rockfill, with optimization in construction times and costs), and timing, as
it would allow complying the construction within the very short construction period.
For the Rogun 65 m high cofferdam (Picture 7 at right) for the construction of the highest
dam in the world, the 335 m high Rogun dam in Tajikistan, the geomembrane waterproofing
system was placed as an upstream diaphragm placed on a supporting/drainage layer made of
selected material and covered with a 50 m wide riprap layer, designed to conform to the
stability requirements of the main dam. The waterproofing geocomposite is protected by a
cushion of selected material and by a 2,000 g/m2 anti-puncture geotextile. The high
resistance of the geocomposite to puncturing allowed minimising surface preparation.
Installation proceeded in 6 m high stages providing protection against floods and allowing
the simultaneous raising of the embankment.

Picture 7. At left, Gibe III 50 m high cofferdam, at right Rogun 65 m high cofferdam
5. External waterstop
External waterstops in RCC and embankment dams (Picture 8) comprise
- A multi-layered site-specific support system, placed over the joint, in the area of the
possible opening. The type and configuration of the layers are a function of the water head
and of the width and anticipated movements of the joint.
- A waterproofing layer, typically a SIBELON® CNT geocomposite, placed over the
support and anchored independently from it, to cover the joint, over an area exceeding by at
least 200 to 250 mm on each side of the area of possible opening of the cracks or joints.
- A watertight perimeter seal of the tie-down type.

Picture 8. Scheme of external waterstop (Fig. 132 in ICOLD Bulletin 135) and waterstops at Porce
II 118 m high RCC dam in Colombia

6. Conclusions
All the above geomembrane waterproofing systems have been successfully applied in
several dams. They are designed to allow the construction of safe dams and to complete the
waterproofing system in a shorter time and at lower costs than traditional water barriers.

References
1. ICOLD Bulletin 135, Geomembrane Sealing Systems for Dams - Design principles
and review of experience, ICOLD, France, 2010.
2. A. Scuero, G. Vaschetti, M. Bacchelli, Advanced geomembrane technologies in new
embankment dams and tailings dams. Scientific Journal of Civil Engineering, Vol. 7,
Issue 1, July 2018.
3. Scuero, A. M., and Vaschetti, G.L., Three recent geomembrane projects on new RCC
dams. Proc. of the 6th International Symposium on RCC dams, Zaragoza Spain,
October 23-24 2012.
4. Pietrangeli G., Pietrangeli, A., Scuero, A., and Vaschetti G., Gibe III: a zigzag
geomembrane core for a 50 m high rockfill cofferdam in Ethiopia, Proc. Of the 1st
International Symposium on Rockfill Dams, China, 2009.