Dam El Mauro – Chile

The dam is made of roller-compacted concrete with a height of 23 m and a capacity of almost 600,000 m³. It is located at an altitude of about 1,000 m where ambient temperatures range from -5 to 25°C. The purpose of this structure is to store clean water for agricultural activities. It was designed with a COLETANCHE® ES3 geomembrane to waterproof the upstream face and to prevent underground leaks.

The customer chose COLETANCHE® geomembrane for this project because:

• It’s easy to install and repair
• High puncture resistance
• It has excellent weather resistance
• It has durability in real-life conditions exceeding 40 years
• It has a higher friction angle than any other geomembrane (34°)
• It can be continuously installed throughout the day despite temperatures of 30°C
• It is UV resistant

The joints between the BGM sections have an additional advantage over other types of geomembrane. The joints were welded at high temperature using a simple gas torch. No specialised equipment was required, making this type of installation a simple activity.

Local workers were trained on the ground before the installation work began. This feature meant only one specialist supervisor had to be on site during the installation work.