Reservoirs
Reservoirs act as a storage space for fluids and can come in many different forms. Artificial ponds and lakes can dug into the ground nearly anywhere, dams can be constructed strategically to create reservoirs in river valleys, or embankments and levees can be built above ground. Reservoirs have been used for thousands of years to store water for irrigation, drinking water, waste management, and industrial uses. The chemical properties in cement make it an ideal choice to employ when building reservoirs thanks to its ability to create a sturdy, sealed, nearly impermeable structure in any environment. Concrete can maintain great amounts of pressure and lasts longer underground than any type of structure we’ve created to this day. Thanks to these discoveries, scientists have developed many cement-based products to use across all applications no matter how large, small, or challenging they are.
Conventional concrete can be used to construct storage tanks for clean drinking water which can be covered to store water for long periods of time and periodically cleaned with chemicals without damaging the environment. In industrial applications where the water may not to be perfectly clean, cheaper products like RCC and soil-cement can be used to line artificial ponds and hold water. Concrete mats and slurry walls can also be used in the same manner depending on availability of materials, budget, and anticipated environment. Slurry has also been used in a process known as “grouting” where a cement slurry is injected deep into the ground underneath a reservoir to fill all cracks and voids in the earth below, effectively sealing the reservoir to prevent seepage.