SPRING, Texas – At the Cache Creek landfill site in rural British Columbia, 8,500 square feet of Flowcrete’s high-performance epoxy Novolac resin flooring system, Flowcoat SKN, have been installed.

Flowcoat SKN, in a striking blue shade, was specified for use in the on-site wastewater treatment plant, which collects and treats effluent generated through precipitation entering the landfill as well as moisture secreted from decomposing waste material. The plant facilitates the discharge of treated water to a sanitary sewer or water body.

Over recent years, on-site leachate treatment has become an increasingly popular alternative to the high costs and stringent criteria associated with hauling leachate to a third-party wastewater treatment plant.

The plant is currently being used to treat groundwater effluent as part of the on-going post-closure care and maintenance process.

Daily operations at the plant can potentially expose the floor to spillage of concentrated leachate, sulphuric acid (98%), sodium hydroxide (50%) and biocides.

Discussions with the general contractor and customer led to the specification of Flowcoat SKN as a protective surface coating system because of its high level of chemical resistance and easily cleaned finish, subject to proper housekeeping practices.

Flowcoat SKN is a 100% solids epoxy Novolac coating system, ideal for harsh chemical and solvent-resistant applications, best suited for use in secondary containment, solvent storage, pump pads, trenches and other high-exposure areas. Flowcoat SKN offers a higher chemical resistance grade to standard epoxies and polyurethane coating systems.

The material was installed by a Flowcrete STAR approved applicator, Marvellous Ideas, a team of specialists in concrete repair, restoration and preparation based in Kelowna and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Speaking of the Cache Creek project, Don Podolsky, owner of Marvellous Ideas, said, “The aggressive nature of the chemicals used in daily processes at the wastewater treatment plant proved a challenge when it came to selecting a suitable protective floor coating.”

“Even just intermittent spillage of chemicals used could lead to severe corrosion of the surface over time. As such, only Novolac epoxy offered the chemical resistance profile required to hold up to the client’s requirements. The resulting floor looks fantastic.”

Cache Creek is currently operating only for local residences. However, with the go-ahead for an extension to the site it will re-open under a new operator in 2018

The landfill extension will have the same capacity as the original Cache Creek Landfill, about 10,000,000 tonnes, and has a slightly larger footprint.