ZASTAVTE POVODNE !

What are they used for?

Reusable for many times, the flood protection bags and absorption pads serve for protection from flood-water, drying water-logged and wet areas, especially after floods.

What is it?

The bags, which increase in their weight hundredfold at water presence, thus creating an effective flood protection system when placed in a correct way.

MAIN ADVANTAGES

-       Quick water absorption.

-       Instantaneous application in the event of any hazard.

-       There is no need to use sand, gravel or soil. The Waterholder PP flood protection bags are easy to handle and store for their low weight.

-       They are environmentally friendly.

-       The bag can be reused for many times when handled in a correct way.  The bag is made of polypropylene or natural fibre. It is possible to use the gel contained in the bags as a soil conditioner once mixed with soil (the added substance markedly improves soil water retention, which leads in water and manure consumption cut-down during the vegetation season). 

-       There is no need to transport sand.

-       There is no need to fill the bags with sand.

-       Reusable up to fivefold and more.

Work procedure in using the self-filling flood protection bags

The easy-to-use self-filling flood protection bags are effective in preventing or mitigating the flood water action consequences. Bag filling – the bags should be watered, immersed into the water basin or use a garden hose, reservoir – immerse the bag and wait until it is filled with water. The bags expand from their initial weight of 320 g to 9 – 11 kilograms in a few minutes, when they come in contact with water. The dimensions allow the bags to be used to simply dam watercourse. The ready-to-use bags serve as a barrier to deflect water flow, thus preventing it from breaking into buildings. 

The basic advantage enables the flood protection self-filling bags to be used free of any advance preparation. A single man is capable of stacking the bags to dam watercourse. The bags can undergo long-term storage (five years and more) in closed plastic packages, having their properties untouched, always ready for prompt action.

Placing and stacking the bags in building the dams.

A dam is defined as an artificial barrier which deflects flood water. Remove any impurities from the expected intervention area where the bags will be placed.  It is advisable, but not necessary, that a PE sheet is spread over a dedicated location (approximately 0.5 mm thick or more). The PE sheet should be a little bit wider than the dam expected width. Ensure it from movement. Pick the bags out of the plastic package and immerse into a water basin to let them fill with water in a few minutes. Now they are ready for use. Place the filled bags with their longer side downstream. The ground rule – when stacking the bags in a pyramid pattern, the dam width shall be at least 1.5 times longer than the dam height, i.e. there shall be approximately 90 cm dam width with the 60 cm dam height.

Table: Recommended dam size

An estimated number of flood protection bags necessary to build the 20 m long and 60 cm high dam.

Dam stability

The stability of a bags-built dam mostly depends on the factors as follows:

• dam height-width ratio;
• correct placement of bags as listed in the handbook;
• The dam stability reduces when the bags are arranged in random.

BARRIER BUILDING

A barrier is defined as a flood protection system, which prevents water from breaking into buildings, cellars, garages etc.  Make the bags ready for use as described in the previous section. The purpose is to build a barrier in a construction opening so as to prevent flood water from breaking into the building.

FLOOD PROTECTION BAGS HANDLING AFTER APPLICATION

• Natural drying of bags and reuse. Hang the bags in a roofed (protected from solar radiation and rain), well ventilated area. Water will evaporate in a few weeks and the flood protection bag can be reused. The drying time depends on the temperature and atmospheric humidity (approx. 1 – 2 weeks).
• Quick flood protection bags disposal.
• Throw the 5 – 10% calcium chloride solution over the flood protection bag. The bag will reduce to its initial volume in 10 – 15 minutes; afterwards let it dry and consequently burn up (we can also use a NaCl solution of approximate 5% concentration)
• P flood protection bags phased disposal:
• Bag contents – discharge the gel into soil. The gel will decompose in water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides due to solar radiation in a few weeks. 
• Application in agriculture.
• In case that there is no flood water contamination, empty the bag and mix the gel with soil (in the ratio of 1 gel part to 50 – 100 soil parts). The gel improves soil properties, it binds water and shows better (nedokončená veta !!).