IAI installed a geotextile tube wall, 11 FT tall and 1,900 FT long, along the perimeter of a coal ash pond, for this project. The geotextile tubes that made up the wall were filled with dredged coal ash from the pond, conditioned with polymer, and pumped into the geotextile tubes at a rate of approximately 1,500 GPM.
IAI’s team devised a method for deploying and filling the tubes in a carefully controlled sequence, resulting in a tightly aligned wall of tubes. Sixty geotextile tubes, 45 FT in circumference, were used to construct the wall. The tubes were stacked in two layers to achieve the final height. A total of 12,000 LF of geotextile tubes were installed on this project.
The turbidity of the geotextile tube filtrate water was monitored throughout performance of the project; turbidity did not exceed Project Specifications.
This type of geotextile tube installation has potential beneficial reuse applications, as the dewatered coal ash can be stored indefinitely in the geotextile tubes. A geotextile tube wall (or berm) installation can also provide wet ash storage, by creating a containment area behind the wall (berm).
