Containment barrier panel and method of forming a containment barrier wall

A containment barrier wall for placement about a defined geographic area for forming a fluid-tight containment barrier, said containment barrier wall comprising:

• a) a plurality of duplicate containment barrier panels for being placed in an adjacent interlocking edge-standing relationship with each other;
• b) each said barrier panel including:
• i) an elongate body panel with a top end, a spaced bottom end, a first side edge and an opposed parallel second side edge, each said side edge extending from said top end to said bottom end of said body panel;
• ii) a female connecting member defining a C-shaped channel formed along said first side edge and extending along the length thereof;
• and
• iii) a T-shaped male connecting member formed along said second side edge and extending along the length thereof and sized and shaped to be received in a female connecting member of a duplicate barrier panel and pivotably connect said female and male connecting members together;
• c) wherein said T-shaped male connecting member is sized and shaped to be slidably received within a C-shaped channel of a female connecting member of an adjacent duplicate barrier panel to form an interlocked edge-standing relationship with an adjacent duplicate barrier panel;
• and
• d) a sealing device extending the length of said T-shaped male connecting member and formed as an integral part thereof and extending from said T-shaped male connecting member into said C-shaped channel of the female connecting member of a duplicate containment barrier a distance sufficient to engage a portion of said female connecting member that is spaced from said male connecting member for forming an interlocking fluid-tight seal with the female connecting member of an adjacent barrier panel.

A method of constructing a fluid-tight containment barrier wall about a defined geographic area, the containment barrier including a plurality of duplicate containment barrier panels constructed and arranged to be driven into the earth about the geographic area, each barrier panel having an elongate body panel with a top end and a spaced bottom end, a first side edge and a parallel second side edge, each of the two side edges extending the length of the barrier panel, a female connecting member formed along the first side edge and a complementary male connecting member formed along the second side edge thereof, both connecting members extending the length of the barrier panel, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) sliding the female connecting member of a first barrier panel lengthwise about and along the male connecting member of a second adjacent barrier panel;
• b) in response thereto progressively engaging a seal member formed as a part of the male connecting member of the second barrier panel and extending the length thereof against the female connecting member of the first barrier panel to form a liquid seal between the adjacent barrier panels;
• and
• c) forming an interlocked edge-standing fluid-tight connection between the first and the second barrier panels in response thereto.