Drinking water pond
1.Geotextile fabric, LDPE rubber and Wall protection
Life Cycle Assessment – Initial Setup
LDPE is very thin, there is an outgassing of methane and ethylene upon exposure to sunlight and material supply is the least energy-intensive.
Durability
This system can last around 20 years and the recycling is easier than with only LDPE.
Microplastics
This system has the most negative impact on the microplastics in the water (of all the other systems presented on this page).
Susceptibility to problems and repairability
This System can still be welded even after 20 years.
Water conservation
This system has the best water conservation of all the systems presented here. On the EduFarm field it would only have a surface of 1100m².
Impact on water quality
This system has the most positive impact on water quality of all the presented systems: no leaching of nutrients, and easy to clean.
Miscellaneous
In this system, underground extraction and purification are possible.
Cost
The most cost-effective option, although the liner may need to be replaced sooner than with EPDM.
2.Geotextile fabric, EPDM rubber and Wall protection
Life Cycle Assessment – Initial Setup
This system uses more materials than the LDPE system.
Durability
This System has a longer service life than the LDPE system (approx. 40 years) but has poorer recyclability.
Microplastics
This system has a better impact on microplastics in water than the LPDE system has.
Water conservation
This system has the best water conservation of all the systems presented here. On the EduFarm field it would only have a surface of 1100m².
Impact on water quality
This system has the most positive impact on water quality of all the presented systems: no leaching of nutrients, and easy to clean.
Miscellaneous
In this system, underground extraction and purification are possible.
Cost
Pure film is roughly twice as expensive as LDPE and more complex to install.
3.Geotextile fabric, Clay slabs and Geotextile fabric
In this system, there must be at least 20 cm of gravel ballast to keep everything in place.
Life Cycle Assessment – Initial Setup
This system has Energy-intensive material supply.
Durability
The geotextile fabric of the textile would eventually need to be replaced.
Microplastics
This systems holds similar density of microplastics to the 2nd system.
Susceptibility to problems and repairability
This system has problems with plant roots growing through the clay layer.
Water conservation
The pond surface area is increasing by because excavator access is required for cleaning; consequently, there will be significantly higher evaporation.
Impact on water quality
With this system one most be careful to Leaching of nutrients from clay.
Miscellaneous
Underground extraction and cleaning are not possible; an excavator must be able to drive in. This also increases the ponds surface.
Cost
Significantly more expensive than using a pure film. Clay tiles, delivery and Installation of the materials are the main factors of this increase.
4.Jute fabric, clay slabs and 50 cm natural covering layer
Life Cycle Assessment – Initial Setup
This system has Energy-intensive material supply.
Durability
This System is Virtually unlimited in durability.
Microplastics
Water in this system has no microplastics.
Susceptibility to problems and repairability
This system has problems with plant roots growing through the clay layer.
Water conservation
In this system, Pond surface area is largest, as the slope angle for the gravel layer must be even shallower. Consequently, evaporation is highest. There is also an Additional water loss due to lack of capillary break (geotextile).
Impact on water quality
In this system, the leaching of nutrients from clay and the covering layer is significant, resulting in rapid algal blooms.
Miscellaneous
No underground extraction and purification possible in this system.
Cost
This system is the most expensive of all presented: there is significantly more excavation required, a larger waterproofing surface area and higher delivery costs to be careful of.
This system also has significantly more complex installation, which can also increase the cost.
