Techniques for the storage of water
OwnerDudley L. Willisinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Water is stored in a sub-surface reservoir that has flexible walls of grouted in situ soils. The water is stored in the voids between soil particles within the reservoir. Usable voids within the container vary from about 20% to about 40% of the totally enclosed volume of the reservoir. The bottom of the reservoir is a natural impervious sub-strata. No excavating of soil is required as they are, generally, sand and gravel deposits that overlie impervious aquicludes. A grout pipe is inserted into the ground by any conventional method, and then grout is continuously injected through the pipe under pressure as the grout pipe is being withdrawn, thus forcing the grout into adjacent soils. Selective positioning of successive grout pipes leads to the formation of a wall.
Claims10
A reservoir for storing water or other liquids underground, which reservoir comprises a substantially flexible, impervious, continuous closed wall enclosing a predetermined land area of any desired size and any desired shape, said wall extending downwardly underground to a natural, substantially impervious aquiclude and being in water-sealing relationship with the top surface of said aquiclude, said wall being substantially impervious to the passage of liquids therethrough, said wall being made of a grouting material which will yield to natural ground movement without failure, said wall extending downwardly to said aquiclude and being horizontally supported by the soil on either side thereof, said water being stored within the voids between the soil particles within said reservoir.
A process for storing water or other liquids in an underground reservoir which comprises forming a substantially flexible, impervious, continuous closed wall enclosing a predetermined land area of any desired size and any desired shape, said wall extending downwardly underground to a natural, substantially impervious aquiclude and being in water-sealing relationship with the top surface of said aquiclude, said wall being substantially impervious to the passage of liquids therethrough, said wall being of a grouting material which will yield to natural ground movement without failure, said wall extending downwardly to said aquiclude and being horizontally supported by the soil on either side thereof, forming said wall by injecting said grouting downwardly to said aquiclude, and storing the said water or other liquids within the voids between the soil particles within said reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.