O-I chooses steel reinforced geosynthetic drainage improvements for a Texas landfill

Published On: May 17, 2018

In December 2017, Owens-Illinois, commonly known as O-I and one of the largest glassmakers in the world, took action to improve the drainage system for their glass container landfill situated near the company’s O-I Waco manufacturing facility in Waco, Texas, Contech Engineered Solutions said in a press release.

The consulting engineer worked closely with the contractor to design a system that would address the needs of the site, Contech said. Because of the location and soil conditions, the project required a watertight joint pipe that was capable of conveying stormwater efficiently with minimal leakage.

With that in mind, the consulting engineer and contractor selected Contech DuroMaxx® steel reinforced polyethylene (SRPE) to address the project design requirements along with Contech A-2000™ polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the company said. The steel reinforcing ribs of the SRPE pipe provided the strength while its polyethylene provided the durability. The smooth interior met the hydraulic needs of the system with a Manning’s “n” value of 0.011, while the welded coupler joint ensured a watertight connection throughout the drainage system.

Initially, the consulting engineer and contractor considered the use of HDPE throughout the drainage system, but due to the somewhat inefficient watertight joints and potential

Photograph copyright © Contech Engineered Solutions

buckling conditions of HDPE, they determined that the SRPE pipe would better address such design concerns.

 

Contech said, because the project was inside a glass container landfill, an approval letter from the city was needed by the contractor to install the drainage system. This approval process increased the project timeframe by two months but was unavoidable. Ultimately, the complete drainage system was installed successfully.

This article is adapted from a press release from Contech Engineered Solutions. Copyright © 2018 Contech Engineered Solutions LLC, www.ContechES.com