Long-Term Behavior of Water Content and Density in an Earthen Liner
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 131, Issue 6
Abstract
An extensively instrumented compacted earthen liner was constructed at the Illinois State Geological Survey facility in Champaign, Ill. in 1987. A pond of water deep was maintained on top of the thick liner for . One of the goals of the project was to evaluate the long-term performance of a compacted earthen liner by monitoring the long-term changes in water content and density. The water content of the earthen liner showed no trend with depth or time. The liner density remained essentially constant from construction through excavation in 2002. The liner did not become fully saturated. Upon excavation of the liner, the degree of saturation was after of ponding under a hydraulic head of . The results imply that properly designed and constructed earthen liners may reduce the possibility of pollutants leaching from municipal solid waste containment facilities by remaining partially saturated for years and maintaining the placement density.
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Acknowledgments
The Illinois Office of Solid Waste Research (OSWR) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant No. CMS 98-15242 provided funding for this project. The Illinois State Geological Survey provided additional support and funding. The writers would like to thank Renee J. Suarez for assisting with core sample collection and analysis. Wen June Sue provided geotechnical and liner material sampling advice. Dr. Jeffery Levengood provided statistical expertise. The writers also acknowledge the beneficial discussion with Thomas Willingham and the editorial assistance by Edwin Winzeler. Publication of this report is authorized by the Chief, Illinois State Geological Survey.
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© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Sep 30, 2003
Accepted: Nov 19, 2004
Published online: Jun 1, 2005
Published in print: Jun 2005
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