BTL is pleased to announce that we have been featured in the October/November 2015 issue of Geosynthetics Magazine for a notable RPE geomembrane install we did at the Tumbler Ridge Coal Mine in B.C., Canada. BTL’s Tumbler Ridge Coal Mine RPE geomembrane install proudly graces the cover of the magazine and includes a six-page article with full color photos detailing the install from start to finish. The article by Bruce Wright includes details on the project from the landscape of the area to the challenges faced. Wright interviewed our VP and General Manager Jared Santoro for the article, as well as President Michael Baron. Santoro and Baron clearly and efficiently laid out the specifics of the project in print just as they did in the execution of the Tumbler Ridge project itself.
RPE Geomembrane Install Project Specifications
In September of 2013, Santoro was under pressure to have a major RPE geomembrane install completed before B.C.’s harsh winter season shut down site work at the coal mine near Tumbler Ridge. Santoro carefully orchestrated giant earth movers, trucks, trains and muscle crews near the mine’s entrance. The RPE geomembrane install was part of the effort to restart operations at the Tumbler Ridge coal mine that has remained idle for the past 10 years. The project called for a large 500,000 square foot holding area for coal, plus two additional large lagoons of approximately 140,000 square feet. The first lagoon was designed for freshwater used in the mining process and the second for excessive groundwater created by the horizontal shaft drilling.- Install must be complete before the onset of winter in B.C., which can start anywhere between early September and mid-November
- The project included a 40mil-thick reinforced polyethylene (RPE) liner
- Panels were transported from Prineville to Tumbler Ridge over the course of three days
- Each truck carried 350,000 square feet of liner for the RPE geomembrane install (vs 150,000 square feet of heavier liner products)
- Transportation costs were reduced by 50%
- During installation 1,000 sandbags were used to hold liner panels in place before welding occurred