Containment system

Abstract

A modular containment system, which does not require excavation of soil, and thus can be quickly and inexpensively assembled and utilized, such as for holding and containing large volumes of liquids, for example at oil and gas drilling sites. Furthermore, the modular containment system can be repetitively reused at subsequent drilling sites for many years. The system includes a plurality of walls that are assembled together, and then a water-tight liner is inserted inside the pool created by the system over the ground and over the side walls, where it is fastened down to the side walls.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A modular containment system configured for holding and containing a body of liquid, comprising:
 a plurality of side walls, each side wall having interlocking tabs on both ends of the side wall configured to interlock with interlocking tabs of an adjoining side wall, wherein the plurality of side walls are interlocked with each other to form an enclosed open-top volume on the ground, each side wall further configured with a base portion that extends into the enclosed open-top volume and an upright portion extending upwards from the base portion to form the enclosed open-top volume;   a flexible liner spread out over the ground underneath the enclosed open-top volume and over all of the plurality of interlocked side walls; and   a plurality of fasteners for fastening the flexible liner to the plurality of interlocked side walls.   
     
     
         2 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of side walls each have an L shape. 
     
     
         3 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fasteners comprise C-shaped clamps that snuggly fit over matching shaped top edges of the plurality of side walls wherein the liner is sandwiched in between the C-shaped clamps and the matching shaped top edges of the plurality of side walls. 
     
     
         4 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fasteners comprise clips that snuggly fit into matching shaped slots on sides of the side balls to thereby sandwich the liner in between the clips and the slots. 
     
     
         5 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the plurality of side walls have an L shape in which a base portion fastens to an upright wall portion, wherein the base portion and the upright wall portion are separately manufactured.