Faced with increasingly frequent droughts and the growing need to secure water resources, lagoons and water reservoirs play an essential role in agriculture. But building a water reservoir is not enough: the water stored also needs to be retained over time. Leaks or seepage from a lagoon can result in significant water losses. With COLMATEK™, APROTEK offers a sealing solution designed to improve the watertightness of earthen reservoirs without requiring them to be drained.
Water storage: a major challenge for agriculture
Water management has become a strategic issue for the agricultural sector. Periods of heavy rainfall can provide an opportunity to build up reserves that can then be used when water resources become less readily available.
Agricultural lagoons, hill reservoirs, water storage reservoirs and storage basins can therefore be used to retain large volumes of water.
But once the reservoir has been filled, another challenge arises: keeping water losses to an absolute minimum.
Even when an earthen reservoir has been properly constructed, its watertightness may not be perfect. Permeable areas, cracks or localised defects can lead to seepage and a gradual drop in the water level.
💧 Building a water reservoir is good. Keeping the water in it is even better!
Why can an agricultural lagoon lose water?
When constructing an earthen water reservoir, different materials can be used to reduce the permeability of the bottom and banks, including clay-based materials.
Despite these precautions, water losses may still occur. Sealing defects or more permeable areas can cause seepage and gradually reduce the volume of water available.
When the level of a reservoir drops abnormally, it is therefore important to identify the source of the water loss before considering a lagoon sealing solution.
The objective is simple: retain as much of the collected water as possible and improve the storage performance of the reservoir.
COLMATEK™: a solution to improve lagoon watertightness
To address leaks in agricultural lagoons and water reservoirs, APROTEK has developed COLMATEK™, a solution designed to improve the watertightness of earthen structures.
COLMATEK™ has high swelling and elasticity properties. One of its key advantages is that it can be applied directly to the water surface, once the areas of water loss have been identified.
This means there is no need to completely drain the reservoir before application.
This feature is particularly valuable when a reservoir already contains a significant volume of water that the operator wants to preserve.
How does COLMATEK™ seal a leak?
The operating principle relies on the natural movement of water towards the leak.
Once COLMATEK™ is applied to the surface, the product comes into contact with the water and activates. It is then naturally drawn towards the leaking areas by the movement of the water.
The product continues to expand in the affected area, helping to seal the leak.
Sediment and organic debris naturally present in the water can then gradually cover the treated area.
This method makes it possible to intervene directly on a water-filled lagoon, without carrying out extensive work on the entire structure.
Up to 90% of water losses stopped
One of the main advantages of COLMATEK™ is its low application rate and ease of use.
According to APROTEK technical data, the solution can stop up to 90% of water losses, with an indicative application rate of approximately 80 g/m².
The product is applied directly to the water surface, primarily targeting the areas where water losses have been identified.
This approach makes it possible to improve the watertightness of the reservoir without systematically rebuilding the entire bottom or banks.
A solution for agricultural water reservoirs
COLMATEK™ can be used to address various water storage and conservation issues:
Agricultural lagoons and irrigation reservoirs
Earthen water reservoirs
Stormwater retention basins
Reservoirs and structures with localised leaks
In the agricultural sector, the issue is particularly important: water that has already been collected but is subsequently lost through seepage is a resource that will no longer be available when it is needed.
Improving the watertightness of an agricultural lagoon therefore helps secure the volume of water available and optimise the use of existing water storage infrastructure.
Preserve water rather than let it seep away
In a context where water availability is becoming an increasingly important issue, the performance of storage facilities does not depend solely on their capacity.
Their watertightness is just as important.
A lagoon capable of storing several thousand cubic metres of water loses part of its value if a significant proportion of that volume gradually disappears through seepage.
Identifying and treating leaks is therefore an important step in optimising an existing water reservoir and preserving stored water over time.
With COLMATEK™, APROTEK offers a solution specifically designed for sealing leaks and improving lagoon watertightness, which can be applied directly from the water surface.
💧 Is your lagoon or water reservoir losing water?
Contact APROTEK to discuss your situation and determine the most suitable solution.
