HYSON-CELLS

Canals and stormwater

Drains and canals built in the water table

Method :
• A cut off trench is constructed across the channel every 5 to 15 metres down it’s fall. These act as sumps to collect as much water as possible.
• The cells are pulled over the entire drain profile, including the cut off trenches. The pumps are set to work to drain the sumps.
• When the water table drops sufficiently the cells are filled with special mix concrete. The concrete is also placed in the cut-off “sumps”. The sumps have to be as dry as possible at this point and the pumps are left running as long as possible under careful supervision
• When the quick-set concrete has set the water behind the drain wall will be seen to seep through the “micro jointing”. The path for the seepage is only a few microns wide and fines do not escape. This seepage can be seen on the far wall of the photograph.
• Despite this observed seepage (which occurs under hydrostatic pressures) Hyson Cells canals have proven to be as water proof as conventional concrete canals.