Water containment structure with finger ends

Abstract

A water containment structure with finger ends that includes at least one sleeve formed from a strong flexible material that will resist puncturing that is formed to receive at least one bladder formed to retain water, and which said sleeve includes center notches formed in the opposite sleeve ends that separate like closed end fingers, with which bladder fills the sleeve such that the ends fit against the finger ends, and at least one water fill tube and an air drain are fitted through said sleeve to pass, respectively, water into which bladder to fill same, with the air drain to provide for evacuating air from the sleeve during bladder filling. Which sleeve finger ends sloped, as needed, and can be fastened together around a support or can be secured to one another for connecting a number of sleeves, end to end, into a damming structure.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A water containing structure with finger ends comprising, a sleeve that is formed from a lightweight strong puncture resistant material that is closed at its ends so as to form a center notch in each said sleeve end with like outwardly extending fingers that are closed at each said finger end; a bladder means formed to fit within said sleeve, filling said sleeve fingers to said finger ends; means for filling said bladder means with a liquid; means for draining said liquid from said bladder means; and means for venting air from said sleeve finger ends during filling of said bladder means. 
     
     
         2 . The water containment structure with finger ends as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the bladder means consists of two bladders for side by said arrangement in the sleeve, where each said bladder extends from the end of one said sleeve finger to the end of an aligned opposite said sleeve finger; and the end of each said sleeve fingers includes the means for venting air. 
     
     
         3 . The water containing structure with finger ends as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the sleeve fingers are sloped from approximately adjacent to each sleeve notch to said sleeve finger end that can be at a selected angle between from the horizontal to vertical. 
     
     
         4 . The water containment structure with finger ends as recited in  claim 1 , further including, for a plurality of dam structure sleeves, the edges of the sleeve ends fingers and notch of one sleeve include a means for releasably connecting a second sleeve ends fingers and notch together. 
     
     
         5 . The water containment structure with finger ends as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the means for releasably connecting the finger ends of the two sleeves together are a plurality of holes formed at equal spaced intervals through inner and outer edges of said fingers ends inner and across the notch of the first and second sleeves that will align with like holes, and said aligned holes receive a lace means that is laced through said aligned holes for holding said finger and notch edges together, and said lace means includes ends that are releasably secured to said lace ends to prohibit said lace means from being unlaced out from said aligned holes. 
     
     
         6 . The water containment structure with finger ends as recited in  claim 5 , further including fitting each of the spaced holes with a reinforcing rings, forming grommets. 
     
     
         7 . The water containment structure with finger ends as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve is formed from flat upper and lower sections that are secured together around their common edge. 
     
     
         8 . The water containment structure with finger ends as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the sleeve is formed from a flexible, strong woven polypropylene material. 
     
     
         9 . The water containment structure with finger ends as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the flexible strong woven polypropylene material is GeoTex®. 
     
     
         10 . The water containment structure with finger ends as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the bladder means is formed from a flexible polyethylene plastic, that is strong enough to resist punctures and has a range of wall thicknesses of from five (5) to twelve (12) millimeters. 
     
     
         11 . The water containment structure with finger ends as recited in  claim 1 , further including air vents that are each fitted into a sleeve finger end.