Table of Contents

Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 1

1. Responsibilities ...................................................................................................................................1
2. Method ..............................................................................................................................................2
2.1 Geomembrane .................................................................................................................................2
2.1.2 Testing .......................................................................................................................................3
2.1.3 Trial Seams ...............................................................................................................................3
2.1.4 Non-Destructive Testing - Air Pressure testing ....................................................................4
2.1.5 Non-Destructive Testing - Spark testing ................................................................................4
2.1.6 Destructive Testing ..................................................................................................................4
2.1.8 Surface Preparation .................................................................................................................7
2.1.9 Repair of liner defects ..............................................................................................................7
2.1.10 Minor repairs .............................................................................................................................7
2.1.11 Major repairs .............................................................................................................................7
2.2 Geotextiles .........................................................................................................................................8
2.2.1 Specification .............................................................................................................................8
2.2.3 Surface Preparation .................................................................................................................9
2.2.4 Geotextile Repairs ....................................................................................................................9
3. Resources, Equipment and Tools ....................................................................................................9
4. Quality control...................................................................................................................................9
5. Records ............................................................................................................................................ 9
6. Attachments......................................................................................................................................9

1. Responsibilities

1.1 Construction Management Team:

The Geo-X Construction/Site Manager has overall responsibility for the lining of the facilities. The Geo-X
Construction/Site Manager shall ensure that sufficient personnel, equipment and materials are made
available in order to carry out the sub-contract work in accordance with the specifications, codes, standards,
client specifications and SHEQ requirements. He shall also ensure that personnel employed on the project
shall have sufficient training in the tasks they are required to carry out, and that those personnel fully
understand the requirements of the specifications, codes, standards, and procedures.
1.2 SHEQ Management Team:
The Geo-X SHEQ Management as well as the entire site team is responsible for satisfactory compliance to
the Project Health & Safety Plan, Environmental and Quality Plans and the Clients issued Health & Safety
Specifications in respect of the sub-contract works.
1.3 Construction Supervisors and Assistant Supervisors:
The on-site Geo-X Supervisors have the responsibility of implementing & adhering to the requirements as
laid out in the Health & Safety Plan, Environmental and Quality Plans as well as the Client’s issued Health &
Safety Specifications. These responsibilities are conveyed to them with the signing of their respective legal
appointments and is also included in site specific inductions. Site production and progress also form part of
the supervisor and assistant supervisor roles & responsibilities
1.4 On Site Personnel:
Operators, technicians and labour on site will be made aware of their responsibilities in relation to the Health
& Safety plan, Environmental and Quality Plans and any other pertinent requirements as stated in the client’s
Health & Safety Specs through the required appointments and in the site-specific induction.

2. Method

The methods, personnel, and equipment used for the geosynthetic layer installation must not damage the
geosynthetic materials or the supporting subgrade surface. Smoking or any action that may result in damage
to the geosynthetic materials in any way will not be allowed on site. Proper repair procedures must be
followed should any damage occur. Panels should be positioned to minimize handling and to allow enough
slack to compensate for shrinkage.
Panels are to be placed in their respective locations as specified by the panel layout drawings. An as-built
panel layout drawing will be completed indicating actual panel placement, seams, and patches.

SEQUENCING OF LAYER WORKS

PCD Layer Works:
Layer 1: In-situ or base preparation Layer
Layer 2: HDPE Geomembrane. HDPE 2mm Smooth
Layer 3: Protection Geotextile A6 Bidim

Anchorage
Each geosynthetic layer will be anchored as per anchor trench details provided. The anchor trench backfill
will be done by the main civils contractor. The initial anchorage, during installation, will be done with sandbags
(12.5kg misprint sandbag) for ballasting and once all layers have been installed, backfilling of the trench
will be completed as per drawing detail. All anchor trenches will be backfilled and compacted to the engineer’s
specification.
Disposal of waste material
All waste materials shall be disposed of in accordance with the client’s Health, Safety & Environmental
specifications by the main civils contractor.
Panel Layouts
A floor plan or proposed panel layout will be supplied clearly showing the intended panel layout of each
geosynthetic layer, including orientation of strips, and positions of overlaps and joints. All field panels and
seams will be surveyed, with the use of a Trimble rover, for accurate as-built panel layout purposes. The as-
built panel layouts will be updated on weekly basis.

2.1 Geomembrane

2.1.1 Specification
• 2mm Smooth HDPE Geomembrane, shall be supplied and installed as detailed on the drawings and
project specifications.
• The geomembrane supplied shall conform to the requirements stated in the latest edition of SANS
1526 and GRI-GM13.
• All HDPE geomembranes and welding rods shall be manufactured from a hexene or octene base
polymer.
• During installation, all welding rods shall have the same base polymer and additives as the lining
material.
• Internal Quality Assurance testing will be carried out by the geomembrane Manufacturer to
demonstrate that the incoming resin meets this specification.
• Prior to the installation of any geomembrane material, the Manufacturer will provide the CQAO with
the following information:
 o The origin (resin Supplier's name), identification (type, lot number), and production date of
the resin.
o a copy of the Quality Control certificates issued by the Resin Supplier
o reports on the tests conducted by the Manufacturer to verify the quality of the resin used to
manufacture the geomembrane rolls assigned to the project. At a minimum, these tests
should include specific gravity (ASTM D792 Method A or ASTM D1505), and Melt Index
(ASTM D1238 (190/2.16)).
o a statement that no post-consumer recycled polymer has been added to the raw resin.
However, the use of clean post-industrial polymer recycled during the manufacturing process
may be permitted if done with appropriate cleanliness and if recycled polymer does not
exceed 5% by weight.
o The Manufacturers QC documents indicating the process followed by the manufacturer to
ensure that the resin supplied for the manufacture of the geomembrane delivered to the site
complies with the required specifications.

2.1.2 Testing
• The geomembrane liner shall be tested by the manufacturer for quality control.
• Conformance Testing will be performed and approved prior to shipment and on arrival of
material on site if required by the Engineer.
• The geomembrane shall conform to the test property requirements prescribed in Tables 1(b)
and 2(b) of GRI GM13 (see below).
• Table 1(b) is for smooth HDPE geomembranes and Table 2(b) is for single- and doublesided
textured HDPE geomembranes.
• The Contractor shall provide to the Engineer a production quality control certificate for each
roll of material delivered to site. The certificate shall include the roll and batch numbers and
unique identification number, and the test data as per Tables 1(b) and 2(b) of GM13.
• Any roll of material delivered to site without a manufacturer's quality control certificate shall
be rejected and not be used on this project.
• Durability tests are to be conducted as soon as the material is manufactured.
• The geomembrane material shall be tested by the manufacturer for compliance with the
specifications.
• Samples will be taken across the entire width of the roll and will not include the outer wrap
of the roll. Unless otherwise specified, samples will be 500 mm long by the roll width.
Specimens for testing will be taken across the full width of the sample. Samples will only be
taken and tested upon instruction from the Engineer.
• All seams shall be non-destructively tested by the Installer over their full length to verify the
integrity of the seam.
• Non-destructive testing shall be performed concurrently with field seaming.
• All non-destructive testing shall be observed and documented by the Inspector.
• Approved non-destructive testing procedure is as below.

2.1.3 Trial Seams

• Test seams shall be made to verify that adequate conditions exist for field seaming to
proceed.
• Each seaming apparatus shall produce a test seam at the beginning of each shift.
• In addition, if a seaming operation has been suspended for more than four hours or if a
breakdown of the seaming equipment occurs, a test seam shall be produced prior to
resumption of seaming operation.
• Test seams shall be made in the field on pieces of the approved geomembrane.
• Each test seam shall be at least 1.2 meters long by 300 millimetres wide for extrusion and
1.5 meters long by 300 millimetres wide for fusion, with sufficient overlap for peel testing in
the field tensiometer.
• Samples, consisting of 5 peel and 5 shear samples, 25 millimetres wide, shall be taken from
each end of the test seam using an approved template.
• The samples shall be tested in the field tensiometer, one from each end in peel and shear,
respectively.
• Samples tested in peel shall not fail in the seam.
• All test samples shall exhibit film tear bond and strength as defined under seam properties
shown on table 1 (a) or (b) respectively.
• If the seam fails, the seaming apparatus shall not be used for field seaming until any
deficiencies have been corrected.
• This shall be verified by the production and successful testing of another test seam.

2.1.4 Non-Destructive Testing - Air Pressure testing

• Double wedge welded seams shall be sealed off at both ends.
• If the end of a seam will be an integral part of the geomembrane, the sealing shall be done
in such a way that it does not harm the function of the geomembrane.
• The pressure feed device shall be inserted into the air channel at one end of the seam and
pressurized to a minimum 1.85 bars and maximum 2.05 bars for 1.5mm HDPE and a
minimum 2.05 and maximum 2.05 for 2mm HDPE as per GRI GM6 that falls into the project
technical specification of 1.75 bars to 2.1 bars.
• The feed valve shall be closed, and the pressure sustained for a period of not less than 5 5
minutes.
• The pressure shall then be released by slitting the air channel at the opposite end of the
seam.
• The Inspector shall observe the drop in pressure on the manometer to verify the continuity
of the air channel.
• If a pressure loss of greater than 0.2 bars is observed or if the required pressure cannot be
reached, then the seam shall be rejected, and shall be either reconstructed in its entirety or
the leak located and patched.
• The entire seam shall then be retested according to the procedure outlined above.

2.1.5 Non-Destructive Testing - Spark testing

• For spark testing, a conductive geomembrane is required. The procedure for this method will be
ASTM D 7240, unless otherwise approved by the Owner/engineer.

2.1.6 Destructive Testing

• Destructive testing of field seam shall be performed at selected locations in order to verify seaming
properties.
• All sampling and testing shall be done concurrently with field seaming so that verification of field
seam properties is made as the work progresses and corrective action implemented, if necessary.
• Test samples shall be taken at an average frequency of one test location per 150 meters of seam as
per GRI GM19a and after 10 completed test performed a request of relaxation will be submitted to
perform a test every 450m.
• The number of samples to be tested before adjusting the frequency will be determined according to
GRI-GM14 and will depend on the total seam length.
• Sample locations shall be determined by the Inspector taking into consideration the difficulty of
subsequent repair and testing. The Installer shall not be informed in advance of the locations where
the seam samples will be taken.
• Samples shall be cut by the Installer under the direction of the Inspector. Each sample shall be
indelibly numbered and identified. The sample number and location shall be recorded by the
Inspector.
• The Engineer or Inspector may decrease or increase the amount of destructive testing based on the
results of previous testing. Additional samples may also be required when the
• Engineer or Inspector have reason to suspect the presence of excess crystallinity, contamination,
faulty seam quality.
• The test sample shall measure approximately 300 millimetres wide by 1.0-meter-long with seam
entered lengthwise along the sample.
• Ten 2.5 cm wide sample strips shall be tested in the presence of the Engineer in the inspector
tensiometer, 5 in peel and 5 in shear and shall meet the criteria listed below.
• The remainder of the sample and all test strips shall remain the property of the Owner.
• The area from which the destructive test sample was taken shall be repaired without delay and shall
be non-destructively tested.

2.1.7 Installation
1. A proposed panel layout will be supplied clearly showing the intended panel layout of the
HDPE, including the starting point, direction of working, location and type of seams as well
as positions of overlaps and joints.
2. The proposed panel layout will be submitted to and approved by the Engineer prior to the
commencement of installation.
3. All installation is to be in strict accordance with the Plan unless the Engineer gives advance
approval to any site modifications.
4. A surface acceptance document will be completed and signed by Geo-X, the main civils
contractor and if needed the client and/or designer’s representative prior to deployment
each day.
5. Surface area of which the magnitude prevents cover and CQA signed off on the same day
will not be accepted for installation on the said day. The daily programmed production area
will be accepted.
6. Surface areas will not be accepted for installation after 13:00 p.m.
7. No geomembrane will be deployed without the surface being accepted and singed as
conformant or if the under-laying layer has not been found to be conformant.
8. No geomembrane will be deployed or seamed during inclement weather, precipitation,
strong wind conditions i.e., wind speeds exceeding 20km/h, or during ambient temperatures
below 0°C or if liner surface temperatures exceed 75°C.
9. Placement of the HDPE liner will be executed without disturbance or damage to underlying
layers.
10. Rolls must be transported and placed into position by TLB equipped with certified slings.
11. No vehicular traffic will be permitted on top of the geomembrane layer or on approved
surface areas. Only the TLB, materials hander or skidsteer loader intended for use for the
deployment of the liner will be permitted on the approved surface.
12. Equipment used shall not damage the geomembrane liner by handling, trafficking, leakage
of hydrocarbons, or other means.
13. At the time of installation, each field panel shall be given an “identification code” or number
in accordance with the proposed panel layout.
14. Field panels are to be installed as per the approved panel layout.
15. Rolls are to be laid flat on the previously installed layer without folds or wrinkles.
16. Adjacent rolls are to be overlapped a minimum of 150mm before seaming for hot wedge
and 75mm for extrusion seaming.
17. A trial seam will be executed of approximately 1m long by 300mm wide, with seam centred
lengthwise. It will be done under the same conditions as the actual seam.
18. The trial seam will be done every day prior to any seaming commencing if weather
conditions change drastically or if the welding machines were turned off.
19. 5 test specimens will be sampled, and peel and shear tested as per GRI-GM 19 standard.
20. No geomembrane will be deployed if the trial seam is not found to be conformant to
specification.
21. Specimens for the trial seam will be cut with the coupon cutter only. No utility knives of any
shape or form will be used to cut samples.
22. All coupon cutters will be kept in good order to prevent the use of utility knives for the cutting
of trial weld or destructive test samples.
23. Only trained appointed Geo-X personnel will be allowed to be in possession of utility knives.
No general worker will be allowed to use a utility knife. Utility knives will be kept to the bare
minimum and will only be used to cut field panels to the required size.
24. As per SANS 10409, deployed geomembrane will be seamed as soon as is practically
possible.
25. Each seam shall be given a unique seam number and will be recorded on the as-built panel
layout.
26. The SANS 10409 method for T-joints will be used.
27. The geomembrane liner will be installed, and the quality control carried out in accordance
with the latest edition of SANS 10409 in conjunction with the C3T Geo-Q software program.
Geo-Q is an electronic cloud-based quality control system, and the uncompleted Hardcopy
of documentation is Copy right protected. Training will be provided by Geo-X to all
individuals who will be participating on the project and an example of a completed project
will be shown to all.
28. Sandbags (12.5kg misprint sandbag) will be supplied to keep all material in place during
the installation process.
29. The bags (12.5kg misprint sandbag) will be filled with material conforming to the grading
envelope provided for the ballast protection layer on top of the geomembrane. The bags
(12.5kg misprint sandbag) will be used to anchor the membrane on flat and sloped
surfaces to prevent the formation of wrinkles, waves or folds, and wind upliftment.
30. The bags (12.5kg misprint sandbag) will be placed 2m apart along the edges of each
panel. The bags will be moved to the outer edges of each production lot after the panels
have been seamed together. The bags (12.5kg misprint sandbag) will be stringed together
and placed in the same 2m spacing for panels placed on the slope. If required, the bag
spacing will be adjusted according to site conditions on the day of installation. The bags
(12.5kg misprint sandbag) will be removed as the material installation progresses.
31. Non-destructive testing (Air pressure and Spark tests) will be executed on seams and
patches. Destructive testing will be carried out in accordance with SANS 10409
requirements.
32. All seaming and testing processes will be carried out as indicated by the SANS 10409 and
the C3T Geo-Q software.
33. The outer edge of HDPE will be anchored in the anchor trench at the top of the embankment.
Sufficient overlap will be maintained for the liner to cover the inside face of the trench as
well as the bottom.
34. Anchor trenches are to be backfilled, by the principal contractor, prior to completing any
closure welds on the toe-line. All toe-line closure welds will be completed during the coolest
time of day. This will prevent the geomembrane from trampolining on the toe-line.
35. An installation acceptance document will be completed and signed by Geo-X, the main civils
contractor and if needed the client and/or designer’s representative after installation has
been completed, inspected, and tested for the day.
36. No vehicular traffic will be permitted on top of the geomembrane/geotextile layer.

2.1.8 Surface Preparation

1. The area to be lined shall be free from all protrusions, stones, roots, vegetation, and other
objects that may be detrimental to the performance of the geomembrane.
2. The surface will be prepared in accordance with SANS 10409 requirements.
3. The surface prep will be completed by the main civils contractor.

2.1.9 Repair of liner defects

1. The magnitude of the repair i.e., minor, or major will be determined by the lining contractor
and approved by the Designer’s representative.
2. In the event of major repairs, an internal NCR will be raised.
3. The repair method to be used will be determined by the magnitude of the repair.
4. All repairs shall be inspected and approved by the Designer’s representative prior to closing
the repaired area.

2.1.10 Minor repairs

1. A liner patch will be cut to a size that shall cover the entire defected area.
2. The patch area will be cleared of all contaminants and debris if any.
3. Prior to welding the patch in place, the surface preparation shall be approved by the
Designer’s representative.
4. The patch shall be welded by means of extrusion welding.
5. All patches shall be numbered and recorded as such on the panel placement layout and on
the Geo-Q system.
6. Non-destructive spark tests will be done on all patches to verify conformance.

2.1.11 Major repairs

1. The defected liner shall be cut and removed to the designated waste area.
2. The substrate surface shall be re-prepared and approved by the Designers representative
if required.
3. The new replacement liner shall be wedge welded.
4. The outline (seam) of the repair shall be surveyed and documented in the liner data pack.
5. The new liner panel number shall be recorded on the liner panel placement layout and on
the Geo-Q system.
6. Non-destructive air-pressure tests will be carried out on the seams to verify conformance.
 2.2 Geotextiles

2.2.1 Specification
• All geotextiles to be used for protection of the HDPE geomembrane, shall be non-woven
needle punched materials, or similar.
• Conformance testing of the geotextile to be done and approved during manufacturing and
upon arrival of material on site if required by the Engineer.
• The tests to be performed will be as per the project specification for geotextiles.
• The procedure to be followed for taking field samples for testing is:
o Once material has been delivered to site the Employer and/or his Engineer will cut
samples and arrange for shipping and testing. A sample will be cut from any roll at
random, but not the same roll as that tested prior to shipping.
o A 600mm wide strip is to be cut along the total width of the roll. This is then sent to the
testing facility.

2.2.2 Installation
1. The geotextile will be placed as detailed on the latest approved construction drawings.
2. At the time of installation, Geotextile fabric will be rejected if it has defects, rips, holes, flaws,
deterioration, or damage incurred during manufacture, transportation, or storage.
3. A floor plan or proposed panel layout will be supplied clearly showing the intended panel
layout of the Geotextile, including orientation of strips, and positions of overlaps and joints.
4. A surface acceptance document will be completed and signed by Geo-X, the main civils
contractor and if needed the client and/or designer’s representative prior to deployment
each day.
5. No geotextile will be deployed without the surface being accepted and singed as conformant
or if the under-laying layer has not been found to be conformant.
6. Placement of the Geotextile will be executed without disturbance or damage to underlying
layers and linings.
7. Rolls must be transported and placed into position by TLB equipped with certified slings. No
vehicular traffic will be permitted on top of the under lying geomembrane layer.
8. Equipment used shall not damage the geomembrane liner or geotextile by handling,
trafficking, leakage of hydrocarbons, or other means.
9. Geotextile fabric shall be placed without stretching and shall lie smoothly in contact with the
prepared surface.
10. Seams shall be created by overlapping adjacent edges by a minimum of 150 mm with
upstream geotextile always overlapping the downstream geotextile.
11. The edges of the material will be sufficiently weighed down to prevent wind upliftment.
12. All seams will be heat tacked.
13. At the time of installation, each field panel shall be given an “identification code” or number
in accordance with the proposed panel layout.
14. Field panels will be installed as per the approved panel layout.
15. It is important to ensure that the Geotextile is not left exposed to the elements for prolonged
periods of time and therefore the subsequent covering activities must be coordinated
accordingly with the Geotextile installation.
16. The outer edges of the Geotextile will be anchored in anchor trench as per anchor trench
detail provided.
17. Sandbags (12.5kg misprint sandbag) will be supplied to keep all material in place during
the installation process.
18. The bags (12.5kg misprint sandbag) are to be filled with sand (max. particle size 5mm).
The bags (12.5kg misprint sandbag) must be used to anchor the material on flat and
sloped surfaces to prevent the formation of wrinkles, waves or folds, and wind upliftment.
19. An installation acceptance document will be completed and signed by Geo-X, the main civils
contractor and if needed the client and/or designer’s representative after installation has
been completed, inspected, and tested for the day.
20. All geotextiles will be handled and stored as described in ASTM D 4873.
 21. Only trained appointed Geo-X personnel will be allowed to be in possession of utility knives.
No general worker will be allowed to use a utility knife. Utility knives will be kept to the bare
minimum and will only be used to cut field panels to the required size.
22. No vehicular traffic will be permitted on top of the geomembrane/geotextile layer.

2.2.3 Surface Preparation

1. The area to be lined shall be free from all protrusions, stones, roots, vegetation, and other
objects that may be detrimental to the performance of the geomembrane.
2. The surface will be prepared in accordance with SANS 10409 requirements.
3. The surface prep will be completed by the main civils contractor.

2.2.4 Geotextile Repairs

1. Patching shall be used to repair holes, cuts or tears, insufficient overlap, bridging and to
remove hard objects beneath the Geotextile.
2. Patching shall comprise installing a new piece of Geotextile of the same material type and
thickness extending at least 150mm beyond the affected area in each direction.
3. No patch shall overlap another patch. If this is required to make a repair, the entire area,
including all previous patches in the near vicinity, shall be cut out and covered with a single
large patch.

3. Resources, Equipment and Tools

Resources Equipment and Tools

Site Supervisor Construction Plant

Seaming Technicians LDVs

QA/QC Tech Wedge & Extrusion Seaming Equipment

General Workers Smart Electronic Device

Hand Tools (Shovels, rakes)

Generators

Trimble Rover

Ready-mix trucks

Bakkie

4. Quality control

5. Records

6. Attachments

No attachments