Channel Lining | La Serena, 4th Region, Chile

Eliminating water losses using Concrete Canvas^®

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Project Overview

In June 2017, Concrete Canvas^® (CC) GCCM was used to line a channel in La Serena, situated in the IV Region in Chile. The aim of the project was to eliminate water losses from the irrigation channel, known as the Bellavista Channel, which was relied upon by the Bellavista Channel water community. The channel was 2.4km in length in total.

Channel Preparation and Lining: Dewatering, Excavation, Profiling and CC Installation

18000m²

of CC5^™ used to line channel

40 Days

to install with a team working 9 hour days

2.4km

total length of irrigation channel

Solution

Alternatives considered for the project were HDPE pipes; however, for this channel and its flow velocity, the pipes would have needed to be much larger than those available to source locally. Another option would have been to use two parallel pipes. Both options would have been very costly.

Another issue that faced the installation team was that they could only cut the water supply off for 8 days at a time, and this could only be done during the three winter months or the community’s crops would die. As a result, a solution was required which could be installed quickly, with less time on site, and during winter months. CC5^™ was specified for the project, with works carried out by Agrotek Spa for the Bellavista Channel water community.

Deployment and Edge Fixing: CC Placement, Edge Fixing using Concrete Screws, Sealing with Polyurethane and Ariel view of ongoing works

Design & Installation

CC5^™ Bulk Rolls specified
Channel profile created by over-excavating and then using a portable formwork to compact soil and form the side slopes
Transverse layup
Perimeter edges secured in anchor trenches
Secured to existing concrete with anchors and polyurethane sealant
Screwed and sealed overlap joints

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CC easily conformed to changes in channel profile

Summary

A total of 18,000m² of CC5^™ was installed in 40 days, with the team (of 70 installers working in rotation, with 3 formworks, 11 backhoes and 3 20T excavators utilised) working around 9 hours each day. Due to the way this project was carried out, with multiple smaller teams working at once in stations along the channel, the project was finished on time. As a result of the project’s success, the client has specified CC for another project, and more similar projects with other clients have been specified as a direct result of the Bellavista Channel.

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