Design and Upgrade of Evaporation Ponds
Union Pacific retained Argus to design upgrades to evaporation ponds at their Lathrop and Roseville, California facilities. The upgrades were required given the ponds and associated liners were in excess of twenty years old, were undersized given the current facility operations and were in need of upgrades to the drainage infrastructure. Additionally, the expansive ponds were attracting large water fowl, rodents and other nuisance birds.
In coordination with UP, it was determined that the expanded facility operations at Lathrop would create a need for additional storage of stormwater runoff. For the Lathrop facility, Argus prepared design drawings and specifications for: the relining of two 50’x50’ ponds with an HDPE liner, the construction and lining of a new 50’x100’ pond, and modifications to the drainage system to prevent overtopping as well as isolate and contain petroleum spills occurring at the facility. Similarly, for the Roseville facility, Argus prepared design documents for the relining of an existing 180’x220’ evaporation pond.
Argus also evaluated various mechanisms to deter and prevent water fowl accessing the ponds. A cable supported netting system was selected and designed for both facilities given the relatively low construction and maintenance cost, projected design life and almost complete elimination of nuisance animals. The design was later standardized by Argus such that it could be utilized at any of UP’s facilities with varying pond dimensions and climate conditions.
