Canals

Since ancient times, canals have been the most efficient way to transport water between the source and the consumers. With time, canals have expanded their uses and nowadays they have many more uses: generation of hydropower, drinking water transport, navigation, irrigation, etc. But all these types of canals have a common feature: they are only useful if there is water inside, so providing a waterproofing system is key. RENOLIT has a large experience in waterproofing canals of all nature and condition.

At first sight canals might seem simple structures, where water flows inside them thanks to gravitational forces, but to achieve that over long distances and with very little elevation differences it is necessary to maintain gentle and constant inclinations, as well as controlled frictional parameters. When lined with PVC geomembranes, not only the frictional parameters are improved but also it enlarges the lifetime of the infrastructure by avoiding erosion, weed growth and loss of resource.

In Europe, a large share of the canal network was built long ago and its renovation and maintenance is nowadays the biggest challenge. Over the years, the walls and base of canals might have cracked, suffered erosion, accumulated sediments, settled, grown weeds, etc. Renovating a canal with liquid waterproofing might involve costly and time consuming works for surface treatment and preparation. On the contrary, pre-formed sheets can be installed easily over very long distances, independently from the substrate conditions. However, only flexible and robust PVC membrane ensure a good adaptation to irregularities, stability in steep slopes and durability against atmospheric agents.