Lining the drainageway with stone provides weight to keep the expansion and contraction of the liner material from affecting the drainage. Other designs that could work would include "decoupling" the liner material of the main cap and the liner material of the ditch line so that the shrinkage/wrinkling of the main cap does not affect the ditch material. The elongation or shrinkage of the smaller area of geomembrane in the ditch would not be enough to affect the drainage. Conclusions A structured geomembrane/turf component system is an effective way to close CCR ponds in place and can be cost-effective in areas where soils are not readily available and long-term maintenance is an issue. Alternative methods require a high level of communication with regulators in states where they have not yet been used, but may net a significant amount of time and monetary savings over the life cycle of the project. At the project in Illinois, the structured geomembrane/turf component system is an effective alternative CCR pond inplace closure design that was selected because it is cost-effective, requires minimal maintenance, can withstand large storm events, can withstand flooding, and addressed the environmental and geotechnical needs at the site. G >> For more, search "structured geomembrane" at www.GeosyntheticsMagazine.com. FIGURE 6 Geotextile component seaming using the welding method www.GeosyntheticsMagazine.com 17http://www.GeosyntheticsMagazine.com https://www.tetratech.com http://www.GeosyntheticsMagazine.com