Liners reduce the likelihood of lagoon breaches during snowmelt by strengthening the storage system’s ability to hold liquids even when water levels rise quickly. During spring snowmelt, large volumes of surface runoff can enter the lagoon in a short time, which adds pressure to the walls and increases the risk of erosion or seepage in an unlined system.
A liner provides a continuous surface that keeps water from cutting into the soil or finding weak spots that could develop into larger failures. Because the liner keeps the lagoon sealed, it reduces stress on the surrounding ground and limits the movement of water through embankments. This keeps the structure stable even when snowmelt creates rapid changes in volume.
