Why a pond liner is used to contain water in man-made lakes
A pond liner is not just used for the containment of water in garden ponds. A high quality rubber pond liner is also used to line a man-make large pond, reservoir or even a lake. A body of water over ground too porous to contain water will benefit from the installation of a pond liner. Lakes are typically used as a water feature on golf courses. They are built to provide aesthetic benefits and obstacles to make the greens more challenging to golfers.
The difference between a lake and a pond?
According to many limnologists, a body of water that has rooted aquatic plants growing in it is classified as a pond. The reason being is that it is shallow enough to allow sunlight to shine to the bottom, allowing photosynthesis and therefore plant growth. A lake, on the other hand would be too wide and deep for sunlight to reach the bottom to support the growth of plants. A small shoreline surrounded by vegetation is also characteristic of lakes.
A pond liner is also used to contain water in irrigation lagoons and reservoirs. EPDM (available in three different thicknesses - 0.75mm, 0.85mm and 1.0mm) and Butyl rubber (0.85mm and 1.0mm thicknesses) are popular choices by professional landscapers. They are both flexible, UV and weather resistant, durable and of superior tensile strength to cope with the most demanding of applications.
Flagon TPO Membranes is a new generation synthetic liner made using an innovative formulation providing greater weldability and flexibility. TPO membranes provide greater design flexibility with a life expectancy in excess of 25 years.
For golf course lake construction, Russetts Developments (RDL) will fabricate lake liners to fit any bespoke size according to design plans. For extra protection a Geotextile protective underlay is used to protect the golf course lake liner from any sharp stones or rocks. The lining and installation process follows the same steps as for garden ponds, but on a much larger scale.
Once the pond liner and protective underlay are installed and secured in place using boulders or a preferred type of edging material, the lake is filled with water to present an aesthetically pleasing feature to any golf course. But, if not well maintained they will lose all merits. Golf course water feature maintenance offers many challenges versus that of a garden pond. They experience high chemical imbalances due to fertiliser run-off. There is also a high concentration of plant debris from grass cuttings and leaves blown from surrounding trees that land in the water and sink to the bottom resulting in a sludge build-up on the bottom. This then affects the quality of the water, which takes on a murky look and gives off an unpleasant odour. Lakes are small ecosystems and a proper balance needs to be preserved for the water to be healthy.
Russetts Developments have years of experience working with professional landscapers in supplying Butyl, EPDM and TPO lake liners fabricated to fit the exact dimensions of any size project.
To share one example of a lake liner project, RDL were asked to a 10,000m2 lake at the prestigious London Golf Club Heritage course.
Working with a landscaper, RDL technical staff ensured the angle and shape of the lake slope was designed so that the lake liner was not visible at water level. The design also had to discourage golfers from walking into the lake to retrieve miss hit golf balls.
Flagon GeoP 1.0mm TPO lake liner was the chosen membrane to use. The superior flexibility and strength of TPO were ideal for the lakes environment. The TPO lake liner membranes non-heat absorbing light colour was chosen to ensure the ambient temperature of the water would not promote the growth of algae.
Prior to installing the TPO membrane, 400g/m2 of geotextile protective underlay was laid down across the total width and breadth of the lake to ensure the lake liner was protected from sharp stones and ground movement. A number of head walls were constructed to ensure the pipe work leading into the lake was secured and to provide a flanged connection to make the seal water tight.
The lake liner was installed and held in position by running up into an anchor trench which was dug around the lakes perimeter. A section of the lake had a wooden fascia and the liner was installed behind the wooden slats. An anchor trench was positioned beneath the fascia to ensure the lake liner would remain in position. The lining of the lake was completed within four weeks after the ground works had been completed.
Like what we do? Contact us if you would like a Golf Course Lake Liner and we’ll be happy to provide you with a quote.