As part of its acquisition of Fort Howard, Georgia-Pacific was responsible for increasing its capacity to retain sludge at its Nahoela Mill plant. The plan provided by The Fletcher Group was to install a layer of HP 570 geotextile over the lagoon, backfill it and then install geotubes so that sludges could be pumped into the “tubes” allowing the water to filter through while retaining the sediments.

The fabric was installed as a single layer in January 2001 in both extremely wet and cold conditions.  Daily production rates of 3,345 to 5017 square meters were achieved using handheld sewing machines.

The site was originally covered in brush and stumps, required some clearing by the general contractor prior to installation of fabric.  The water was removed from the site initially, but the area was soon “drenched” again.  Installation was often accomplished by the crew while wading through deep water.