Drone view of EFI USA floating cover system installation

Containment Solutions

Floating Cover Systems

Floating covers for lagoons and reservoirs, selected for light exclusion, odor management, rainwater exclusion or gas collection.

Systems

Floating Cover Solutions

For biogas collection, see our gas-tight anaerobic digester covers and their gas-handling components. For an aging cover, start with digester cover replacement.

Permeable Reservoir Covers

A permeable shading cover can limit sunlight reaching stored water while allowing rainwater through. Johnston County’s raw-water reservoir is a documented EFI example.

Light exclusion as the design objective
Rainwater passes through the cover
Baffle interfaces reviewed with basin hydraulics
Material selected for the stored water

Impermeable Floating Covers

A continuous membrane can separate the liquid surface from rainfall and the atmosphere. The design must address drainage, operating levels, perimeter anchoring and any gas beneath the cover.

Defined liquid-level operating range
Surface drainage provisions
Engineered perimeter and penetrations
Gas management matched to the application

Covers with Liners and Baffles

Some basins need a cover, slope protection and baffles as one coordinated geosynthetic scope. Staunton’s cover replacement combined all three elements.

Interfaces with existing basin surfaces
Baffles sized for changing water levels
Equipment and maintenance access
Installation sequence agreed with the operator

Applications

Where Floating Covers Work

Wastewater Treatment

Odor control and evaporation reduction for wastewater treatment lagoons, aeration basins, and equalization tanks at municipal and industrial facilities.

Industrial Storage

Containment covers for chemical storage ponds, process water reservoirs, and industrial waste lagoons with site-specific containment and compatibility requirements.

Municipal Reservoirs

Reservoir covers selected for light exclusion and water protection, with product suitability reviewed for the stored water.

Food Processing

Wastewater lagoon covers for food and beverage processing operations managing odor complaints and regulatory compliance in populated areas.

Reservoir cover choices from documented installations

Johnston County and Staunton needed different cover arrangements. Their original case histories identify the materials, installation scope and basin constraints.

Johnston County, North Carolina, 2003

EFI installed 307,661 square feet of 15 mm 3R Foam permeable cover and one 420-foot by 14-foot XR-5 floating baffle. The cover shaded part of the raw-water reservoir.

The useful selection question is how much of the basin needs shading and how the open area and baffle affect the flow path. The historical record does not establish complete algae elimination.

Read the Johnston County cover history

Staunton, Virginia, 2003

The work combined a 46,760-square-foot cover, a 13,056-square-foot slope liner and three baffles. The slope liner protected the cover from rubbing against the existing gunite surface.

Inspect the surface the cover can touch at low water. Existing basin finishes and the operating-level range belong in the cover design brief.

Read the Staunton replacement history

Send the basin conditions with your cover request

State the objective: light exclusion, odor management, rainwater exclusion or gas collection.
Include the basin plan, slope surfaces, minimum and maximum operating levels, and existing cover information.
Locate mixers, aerators, pipes and baffles, and describe maintenance access and installation constraints.
Agree on the drainage and inspection responsibilities before comparing cover proposals. Review EFI’s impermeable-cover maintenance guidance with the operator.

Discuss a floating cover

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

A floating cover rests on the liquid surface and moves within its designed operating-level range. A shading cover and a biogas cover have different functions. The intended use determines the membrane and supporting components.

A permeable cover lets rainwater and gas pass through the cover. An impermeable cover requires a defined approach to surface drainage and gas management. Biogas collection needs a gas-tight cover, perimeter seal and collection system. Start with the treatment objective before choosing a material.

Service life depends on the selected product, exposure, liquid chemistry, operating levels and maintenance. Review the manufacturer’s data and project warranty for the proposed system. A historical installation date alone does not establish the present condition or remaining life of a cover.

Yes. Follow the operating manual for the installed system. EFI’s impermeable-cover guidance addresses operating levels, rainwater removal, pumps, seams and connections. The inspection plan should reflect the specific cover and site; it should not assume a fixed number of maintenance hours.

Gas-tight floating covers can collect biogas when designed with sealed edges, gas piping, drainage and the required pressure controls. A permeable shading cover serves a different purpose and does not provide gas containment.

Provide the basin geometry, minimum and maximum liquid levels, water or wastewater characteristics, existing equipment and the reason for covering the basin. Include anchoring conditions, access needs and any restrictions on taking the basin out of service.

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