Evaluation of synthetic canal lining materials in South Texas over 18 years—Final results and conclusions*

Abstract

AbstractSince 1999, irrigation districts in Hidalgo, Cameron, Willacy, and Maverick Counties in South Texas have been experimenting with an assortment of canal lining materials installed in about 40 km of earthen and concrete canals. In 2005, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service initiated a programme to track the long‐term effectiveness and durability of these materials and to document installation and maintenance procedures which will help ensure good performance. Each lining project was periodically inspected to document the effects of such factors as weather, animals, intentional and unintentional vandalism, farm machinery traffic, and normal irrigation district operational and maintenance activities. Evaluation forms were developed to document observations during inspections. The forms consisted of three elements: a general project description, a district operations questionnaire, and a field observation and rating survey. During inspection, the size and locations of holes and tares in the lining materials were identified, along with the most probable causes of the problems found. In this paper, we summarize results and provide recommendations on liner installation and maintenance obtained from evaluations which span about 18 years of material age. The lining systems which performed the best were synthetic liners overlaid with concrete.