Case study: state of the polymeric geosynthetic barrier in the "El Golfo" water reservoir on the island of El Hierro (Canary Islands)

Abstract

In 1995 the water reservoir named "El Golfo" (Spain) was built and waterproofed with a synthetic rubber geomembrane of Ethylene-Propylene-Diene terpolymer (EPDM). The Central Laboratory of Structures and Materials CEDEX has tested the initial properties of the geomembrane that served as a basis to evaluate the membrane's durability. This article presents the behaviour of this geomembrane over twelve years. Periodically, samples were taken and tested as follows: tensile strength, elongation at break, tensile strength at 300% of elongation, Shore-A hardness, static and dynamic puncture resistance, foldability at low temperature, shear and peel resistance of seams, optical and electron microscopy. The encouraging results show a good state of conservation of the geomembrane in the face of climatic hazards.