PROTECTING OUR AIR AND WATER WITH FLEXIBLE MEMBRANE
LINERS, COVERS, AND FABRICATIONS

Floating Covers

A floating membrane cover installed over the surface of a lagoon or tank rises and falls with the changing level of the liquid.  When used on water reservoirs, floating covers protect the contents from contamination and evaporation.  Used to cover chemical, industrial waste, and wastewater lagoons they protect the surrounding area from the material contained.  Floating covers can also collect methane, which is released when anaerobic digestion takes place in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) and food processing plants.  The methane (biogas) is often used to help power the facility, or it may be sold to utility companies for resale.

The cover shown includes a series of floats arranged in strings of parallel pairs with weights centered between them, forming troughs.  The floats that are laid out around the cover create sufficient tension to allow workers to walk on it. That tension also channels rainwater to the troughs, then to dewatering pumps for removal. While material selection for floating covers is site-specific, in all cases it must be resistant to UV degradation, tears, and punctures; it must have excellent seam strength—enough to hold up to foot traffic; and it must be very flexible.  The type of liquid contained, its chemical composition, its temperature range, the ambient temperature range, environmental conditions, and the intended function of the cover are some of the variables that must be considered. For example, reinforced polypropylene was used for the water reservoir shown. MPC engineers will help with material selection and cover design, and we can provide installation including ancillary items such as hatches, blowers, and pumps.