Athletic fields for football, soccer, baseball, and other types of sport are not merely venues for sporting activities. They can be used for many other events, too. Hence, they must be properly maintained, and storm water must be efficiently managed underneath these fields.
Having an effective storm water management system does not have to be costly and time-consuming when you consider athletic field liners. These are simple yet effective geomembranes that can aid in the recycling of storm water while preventing water from staying too long in the soil, which may result in soft and muddy ground.
Geomembranes for athletic fields are specially designed to be used in an efficient storm water management systems, which often consists of layers of sand, geotextile, turf, and pipes depending on project. With these product combinations, water can be successfully recycled and treated simultaneously.
This carefully engineered system often comes with a reservoir to store the treated rain water, too, which can be used as emergency water supply or for irrigation. For a liner to be effective, it needs to be manufactured from high-quality resins using advanced machinery to ensure consistent weaving to allow for durability and reliability.
Reinforced polyethylene (RPE) is one of the highly preferred materials in athletic field liners. It is impermeable and effective in preventing water from seeping into the ground, thus, enabling rain water to travel smoothly to the reservoir and treatment area.
RPE is typically buried underground, and with this type of installation, it is expected to last for more than 20 years. A permeable non-woven needle-punch geotextile is usually installed along with RPE liners for erosion control. The same liner material filters debris, chemicals, and soil from the rain water, acting as a first line of water treatment.
Geotextiles come in different gauges, and some liner manufacturers can customize them to suit the size or shape of your field. It is critical to make sure that all of the products used for this application are of high grade, normally the cost difference isn’t large between high quality and low quality when it comes to storm water run off products.
