This text, based on an international symposium held in 1994, covers geosynthetic clay liners (GCL), a type of geosynthetic material which blends natural soil and geosynthetics in the form of a composite barrier-system. Environmental applications have been a major use of GCL.

This guide takes a practical approach to the subject and provides an overview of regulations in the USA and Germany. It covers topics including: the individual components of candidate cover systems; examples of cross-sections of final covers on hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste and abandoned dumps; details of a water balance methodology; design examples on slope stability; elements of theory, designs and emerging systems; and related considerations and summary.