Clay Failure

A PVC pond liner is to be installed at a 112-home development in Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania. The pond’s previous liner was made of clay, but the clay failed and since thousands of gallons of stormwater have drained into the holes. Residents now fear sinkholes. Before the liner is installed, a geotechnical evaluation must be carried out. And with a $500 per day fine atop the other project costs, one wonders what the developer hoped to save in not using a common, easy to obtain, impervious synthetic liner the first time around.