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A retaining wall is designed to hold back tons of soil. However, it is rarely the weight of the soil that causes the wall to fail—it is the weight of trapped water.

The Danger of Saturated Backfill

When soil absorbs rain, it expands and becomes drastically heavier. Without an escape route, this trapped water exerts massive hydrostatic pressure that can easily crack or overturn a concrete retaining wall.

Proper Waterproofing and Drainage

At Sichern Engineering, we emphasize that retaining wall protection requires two parts:

1. The Waterproof Membrane: The earth-facing side of the wall must be coated with a heavy-duty rubberized bitumen emulsion to prevent moisture from rusting the internal rebar.

2. The Drainage Composite: A geocomposite drainage cell must be installed against the membrane to quickly channel ground water down to the weeping tiles before pressure can build.

By effectively managing groundwater, the structural integrity of your retaining walls is guaranteed for decades.