Location:
Irrigation District, USA
Featured Products:
CCX-Mat®
Product Category:
Water Control & Drainage
Project Overview
In this application, a watershed district chose CCX® for its quick and easy installation process, efficacy in reducing water seepage and high durability against animal burrowing, weather extremes and more.
Project Challenge
Irrigation districts often manage extensive networks of open canals, laterals, and buried pipelines that draw water from various sources to serve agricultural and residential areas. In regions with minimal annual precipitation, ensuring the integrity of these water delivery systems is crucial.
For this project, it was a high priority of the district to prevent canal breaches, as these put commercial and residential infrastructure at risk in addition to losing conserved water. Typically, canal breaches occur due to erosion and burrowing animal damage.
To address erosion from canal flow and potential animal damage, districts often employ sprayed concrete linings to canals, which can be expensive and may require specialist contractors. But thanks to cutting-edge CCX®, made by Concrete Canvas®, there’s a better way.
The Reliable Solution
CCX® is a flexible, concrete-filled geosynthetic that hardens on hydration to form a thin, durable, waterproof concrete layer. Essentially, it’s concrete on a roll and is a rapid, cost-effective and longer lasting alternative to shotcrete and membrane for canal lining.
CCX-M® was used for this installation. It’s the top choice for erosion control, as it has a 0.3mm LLDPE backing for excellent impermeability.
Easy Installation. Lasting Strength.
CCX-M® can be jointed using different methods according to the level of permeability required. In this installation, thermal bonding was used because it provides the lowest permeability, which is ideal for mitigating canal seepage, conserving water, preventing waterlogging and canal damage, and in some cases preventing salinity logging.
The solution was installed along a section of a major canal with an average cross-section of 21 ft and composed of a combination of types including sharp sand, rip-rap, clay and basalt in places. The typical flow of the canal varies during the seasons between 1-5 ft/s.
CCX® features an easy installation process, eliminating the need for specialist contractors. By simply cutting the material to shape, CCX® can accommodate pipe penetrations and can easily be mechanically fixed to concrete headwalls and pads. Using the district’s crew greatly reduced installation costs. This contributed to the full 50-year design life cycle savings from the reduced maintenance of a CCX-M® lined channel.
Project Results
- The installation of CCX-M® was completed in just a few hours with the canal ready for service within 24 hours, minimizing water supply disruption.
- The district achieved cost savings by using their own crew for installation, avoiding the need for specialist contractors.
- CCX-M® proved to be highly durable, withstanding temperature extremes, freeze-thaw cycles, weathering, UV damage and more.
- The lining effectively prevented canal erosion and seepage, protecting the surrounding infrastructure.
What are the Benefits of CCX®?
ASTM D8364 Compliant: All Concrete Canvas® products exceed the ASTM D8364 standards for Geosynthetic Cementitious Composite Mat (GCCM) and Geosynthetic Cementitious Composite Barrier (GCCB) materials, which ensures their high performance and safety.
Rapid Installation: The swift installation process and rapid early strength development of CCX® minimize infrastructure downtime. This allows for extensive coverage of critical infrastructure within the set maintenance shutdown periods.
96% Seepage Reduction: Thanks to the fiber reinforcement in its composition, CCX® can endure significant differential ground movement, preventing fracture propagation and ensuring impermeability.
Composite Solution: CCX® merges the impermeability of geomembranes with the durability and protection of concrete. It can be installed as quickly as traditional geosynthetics and, once hydrated, cures within a day.
Low Logistical Footprint: With an un-hydrated unit weight of 14.5-15.5kg/m², CCX® is considerably lighter than 10cm of cured concrete at 220kg/m². This results in over 10 times greater logistical efficiency, requiring fewer transport vehicles and reducing operational costs.
Strong Surface Contact: Flexible CCX-M® conforms to substrate contours pre-hydration, improving interfacial friction and enhancing stability.
Flammability Resistant: CCX-M® meets Canadian National Standard for flammability, ensuring safety for secondary containment of flammable liquids.
Screwed Joint Option: Screwed joints provide the highest permeability and are suitable for accommodating low water tables, preventing the build-up of hydrostatic pressure in canal banks and aiding in the recharging of underlying aquifers.
Find out how CCX® can make your next project a successful one
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