The works carried out at the foothills of Kazandağı, on a site where sloped topography and annual precipitation regime are decisive on leach pad performance, required a multi-layered composite system beyond the classical leach lining approach. The textured HDPE geomembrane laid over the GCL at the pad base established the primary containment barrier by creating an interface with a high friction coefficient for sliding stability on the sloped subgrade.

The use of conductive geomembrane in solution management provided additional assurance in the protection of groundwater during operation by allowing the integration of electrical leak location systems. Solution collection efficiency was increased with geonet application in the drainage layer, and the corrugated HDPE pipe network was installed according to the slope and diameter criteria designed for the distribution of leach solution over the pad and its recovery to the ADR facility.

In the process and emergency ponds, a long service life was targeted by using a double liner system, a leak detection layer, and UV-resistant protective covers. The verification of all weld seams through electrical conductivity tests throughout the two-year field work made it possible for the system to meet the zero-leakage criterion prior to commissioning.