Preparation for the Final Testing of the Sprayed Bentonite Sealing Layer of a Pond Dam

Abstract

This paper presents research conducted on the development of a bentonite material suitable for the sealing of the dams of large ponds used for commercial fishing purposes. It is intended that the material will be applied using spray technology. The research was motivated by the large number of very old commercial fish ponds in the Czech Republic of which some are nearly a thousand years old. With the passage of time, leakage through the dams leads to the creation of caverns and preferential flow paths which may eventually result in a breach in the dam wall. An efficient technological approach to the sealing of these earth structures may, therefore, help to mitigate the risk of their failure and destruction. A potentially suitable material for this purpose has been researched and developed at the Czech Technical University and is now ready for the experimental testing phase involving the construction and study of a physical model of such a dam constructed according to the geometry of traditional commercial fish ponds.