Prevent Mine Flooding & Solve Mining Problems with TrapBag

Benefits of TrapBags

TrapBag barriers are sought out for their many qualities that exceed industry standards, including their: 

• • Efficiency & affordability: A single 100-ft section of TrapBags replaces around 8,000 sandbags, saving deployment teams time and money in materials—a necessity during unexpected flooding or erosion-related events. 
  • Versatility: TrapBags can be filled with a variety of substances including sand and washed gravel, making them suitable for temporary or permanent flood solutions. They can be arranged to form many kinds of flood and diversion barriers.
  • Durability & dependability: The strength of TrapBags geotextile exterior, along with their engineered pentagonal shape and accordion structure, makes them extremely reliable forms of protective barriers. TrapBags ensure mining infrastructure is not compromised due to flooding events or hazardous material spills.
  • Ease of installation: Many forms of effective flood protection and/or diversion walls are difficult to deploy—TrapBags are not. They do not require heavy machinery to be placed. Installation is very simple due to the interconnected structure of the barriers; they can be quickly laid and arranged on a variety of landscapes, whether flat or sloped.

A Tested, Versatile Product for Miners

TrapBags can create a variety of different configurations to meet the needs of miners facing costly, dangerous, or erosion-exacerbating problems. TrapBags have been fully tested by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) and have been approved for payment by FEMA.

MSE Walls & Gravity Walls

Mechanically stabilized earth walls, better known as MSE walls, are retaining walls used to stabilize uneven slopes and retain soil, making the practice of mining safer and more efficient. MSE walls utilize compacted backfill and soil reinforcement elements which are alternately layered and fixed to a wall. Gravity walls rely on their mass alone to retain the earth on its opposite side.

Compared to concrete- or wire-based MSE walls, TrapBag MSE walls and gravity walls are extremely easy to deploy and fill as a result of their interconnected accordion structure, and serve as incredibly dependable forms of stability due to their sloped pentagon shape. 

Diversion Barriers for Mine Flooding

In mining, diversion barriers are extremely important to protect nearby environments. TrapBag diversion barriers can be used to divert flood or rainwater from coming in contact with net acid-producing solid materials from mining sites, which would change the water to MIW (mining-influenced water). Without dependable diversion barriers, if MIW reaches water sources or the nearby land, it can interrupt growing conditions for native plants and contaminate drinking water sources.

Leak-resistant diversion barriers, like TrapBags, can be arranged to divert fresh water to protect it from contaminated materials. As a result of their extremely strong geotextile material, TrapBag barriers, in the form of dams, berms, or levees, can also divert MIW towards treatment systems or containment basins.

Place TrapBags along your desired barrier path and fill them with sand or gravel to create a diversion barrier. TrapBag barriers come in 50-ft lengths and can be connected to reach whatever length your site requires.

Mine Erosion Control

Loose sediment can cause dangerous situations for workers as well as exacerbate unnecessary erosion of mining sites. TrapBags can be placed on especially at-risk areas, like sloped areas of land, to mitigate further erosion and maintain the integrity of the mining site. Compared to erosion control blankets, which can easily shift, or planting vegetation to strengthen the area, which can take a significant amount of time, TrapBags are fast to deploy and trusted to remain where you need them for as long as you need them.

Leachate & Stormwater Containment 

Leachate containment is integral to protecting the people and places surrounding a mining site. Leachates are liquids that have passed through matter with toxic properties, like coal or metal ore, and retained those properties, turning it into a contaminated liquid—MIW is a type of leachate. Leachates are extremely dangerous when they enter waterways and water supplies. 

Responsible miners understand the importance of preventing and managing leachates, and TrapBags can provide a multitude of configurations to keep toxic materials away from water sources, including tailings basins and diversion barriers. The engineered accordion structure of TrapBags makes them leak resistant and extremely dependable when it comes to protecting communities near mining sites.

Tailings Dams

Simply put, mine tailings are mine waste—the leftover byproducts from mining or extraction of resources. Rock particles, chemicals, acids, dissolved metals, and contaminated water are all considered tailings. These toxic materials wreak havoc on environments if not properly contained. 

To prevent leaching, tailing ponds are created through dams and berms. TrapBag barriers are the perfect form of protective barrier for this purpose. The height of a tailing pond is incredibly important to mitigate spills, and TrapBag barriers can be easily stacked to achieve a safe level of protection. TrapBags are not affected by seismic events like uncontained earthen dams are, providing peace of mind that your mine site won’t interrupt the environment, leading to costly damages.

Protect Against Mine Flooding with TrapBag

Make the mining process more efficient and keep mining environments safer with TrapBag barriers. Send us a message today to learn more about receiving TrapBag barriers for your mining site.