Bentomat pond liners consist of sodium bentonite clay encapsulated and reinforced between two geotextiles, with a membrane laminated to the cap geotextile. The combination of bentonite clay combined with a polyethylene laminate or geomembrane provides for an effective hydraulic barrier with reliable long-term performance. Benefits of Bentomat pond liners include:

• Ease of installation - no welding required, seams are simply overlapped with granular bentonite applied between the seams, allowing for fast installation.
• No temperature constraints on installation, allowing year-round installation. Traditional liners require welding between panels, which can be limited by the ambient temperature.
• Consistent, known and tested quality.
• Technical design and assistance.
• Reduced carbon footprint.

• Hydraulic performance: The purpose of the pond liner is to function as a barrier to water. As a result, the baseline hydraulic performance of the liner must be demonstrated to meet any design or regulatory requirements under the anticipated service conditions.
• Slope stability: Most water containment applications require placement of the liner on a sloped surface. When a protective soil/stone layer is then placed over the liner, the weight of that cover induces a downslope shear (driving) force on the layers beneath it. The primary engineering challenge in this situation is to ensure that the driving force does not exceed the frictional resisting forces between each component of the liner system.
• Chemical compatibility: Any liner must have the ability to resist chemical attack when utilized in containment applications where contaminants may be present.
• Installation details: With any liner, following proper details for the design and installation is critical, especially where there are pipe penetrations and other irregularities in the liner that can compromise performance if not followed properly.

The Bentomat CL and CLT guide for the proper design and construction of water containment systems found below will address each of these topics and more to ensure a successfully installed hydraulic barrier.