Manure Lagoon Covers

Floating Lagoon Cover Installation

Plastic Fusion Fabricators designs, fabricates, and installs engineered floating covers for manure and wastewater treatment lagoons nationwide. A lagoon cover is the floating membrane that rests on the liquid surface — controlling odor, capturing methane, preventing rainwater intrusion, and stopping algae growth and heat loss, all while rising and falling with the lagoon’s changing level. We custom-fabricate each cover to the geometry of your lagoon and install it with our proprietary ballast system, engineered to perform for decades. With 40+ years building floating covers and active projects across 24 states, Plastic Fusion installs lagoon covers that do the job a tarp never could.

An open wastewater or manure lagoon is a problem on every front: it releases odor and greenhouse gases, it grows algae, it loses heat that slows biological treatment, it collects rainwater that adds to your disposal volume, and it attracts birds. A floating cover solves all of those at once. But it has to be engineered to do it — sized to the lagoon, ballasted to stay in position, detailed to shed rainwater, and built from a geomembrane that survives years of sun, gas, and wastewater chemistry. That’s the difference between an engineered cover and a sheet of plastic, and it’s what Plastic Fusion builds.

We fabricated our first floating cover in 1991, and we’ve been refining the engineering ever since — including a proprietary ballast system designed specifically to hold floating covers in position and manage the gas and rainwater that collect on them.

What a Lagoon Cover Does

• Odor control — an odor-tight barrier between the lagoon and the air, containing the gases that draw complaints and violations
• Methane and biogas capture — trapping the gas produced in the lagoon for collection, flaring, or energy recovery
• Algae control — blocking the sunlight that drives algae growth, keeping the lagoon and downstream systems clean
• Heat retention — insulating the lagoon surface to hold the temperature that biological treatment depends on
• Rainwater and stormwater exclusion — keeping precipitation out of the lagoon so you aren’t paying to treat and dispose of rain
• Evaporation and liquid loss control — reducing evaporative loss from the surface
• Bird and waterfowl deterrence — covering the surface so the lagoon stops attracting birds

Lagoon Covers We Install

• Floating wastewater lagoon covers — for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment lagoons
• Manure lagoon covers — for dairy, swine, and livestock manure lagoons
• Heat-retention covers — insulating covers for lagoons where treatment temperature matters
• Algae-control covers — surface barriers that shut down algae growth
• Biogas-capture covers — covers integrated with gas collection (for active digestion, see covered lagoon digesters below)

Lagoon Covers vs. Lagoon Liners

A lagoon cover floats on top of the liquid; a lagoon liner lines the bottom and sides to contain it. They solve different problems — the cover manages what comes off the surface (odor, gas, algae, heat, rain), while the liner keeps the lagoon’s contents from leaking into the ground. If you’re looking to line or reline a lagoon rather than cover it, see our wastewater and manure lagoon liners page. Many of our projects involve both — and we install the full system.

Covered Lagoon Digesters

When the goal is to actively produce and capture biogas for energy, a lagoon cover becomes a covered lagoon digester — an anaerobic digestion system that turns the lagoon into a source of renewable energy. We build those too.

Manure Pits and Storage Tanks

This page covers open lagoons. For covers on manure pits, storage tanks, and other smaller manure structures — including dairy and swine operations — see our manure pit covers page.

Cover Materials

We fabricate lagoon covers from HDPE, LLDPE, and RPP geomembrane, selected for the lagoon’s chemistry, exposure, and service life. HDPE delivers durability and chemical resistance for long-term covers; LLDPE and RPP provide the flexibility and conformance that floating covers demand as they move with the liquid level. Every cover is custom-fabricated to the lagoon’s dimensions and fusion-welded into a continuous, gas-tight membrane — not assembled from loose, overlapping sheets.

Why Producers, Municipalities, and Engineers Choose Plastic Fusion

• 40+ years building floating covers — we installed our first in 1991
• Proprietary ballast system engineered specifically for floating lagoon covers
• Covers custom-fabricated to the exact geometry of your lagoon
• Fusion-welded, gas-tight membranes — no loose seams or overlaps
• Full function range: odor, biogas, algae, heat retention, rainwater, and bird control
• In-house fabrication of the cover, ballast, and all penetration detailing
• Certified geomembrane welders with documented seam QA/QC
• Active projects across 24 states with nationwide mobilization

Industries Served

Plastic Fusion installs lagoon covers for municipal wastewater treatment plants, dairy and swine producers, CAFOs, food and beverage processors, and industrial facilities operating treatment lagoons. We work alongside your operators, design engineers, and regulators to deliver a cover engineered for your lagoon and your compliance requirements.

Lagoon Cover FAQs

Are there odor-tight covers for wastewater and manure lagoons?

Yes — odor control is one of the primary reasons facilities install floating covers. A properly fabricated and installed cover creates a gas-tight barrier between the lagoon surface and the air, containing the odorous gases that generate complaints and regulatory pressure. The key is a continuous, fusion-welded membrane with sealed penetrations and proper ballast, not a loose cover that lets gas escape at the seams. Plastic Fusion builds covers specifically engineered to be gas- and odor-tight.

How does a lagoon cover control algae?

Algae growth is driven by sunlight reaching the lagoon surface. A floating cover blocks that light, shutting down photosynthesis and stopping algae from forming. This keeps the lagoon cleaner, protects downstream treatment and irrigation systems from algae fouling, and reduces the maintenance that open lagoons require. Because the cover sits directly on the surface, it provides near-complete light blockage across the lagoon.

Can a lagoon cover help with heat retention?

Yes. In biological treatment lagoons, temperature drives the microbial activity that breaks down waste — and an open lagoon loses heat to the air, slowing treatment in cold weather. A floating cover insulates the surface, holding heat in the lagoon and stabilizing the temperature that treatment depends on. This is especially valuable in colder climates and for digestion processes where consistent temperature matters to performance.

How is a floating cover kept in place and managed?

A floating cover has to stay in position as the liquid level rises and falls, and it has to manage the rainwater and gas that collect on it. Plastic Fusion uses a proprietary ballast system engineered specifically for floating covers — holding the cover in position, forming channels that direct rainwater to pump-off points, and managing the gas pockets that form underneath. Proper ballast and rainwater management are what separate a cover that performs for decades from one that fails early.

What size lagoon can you cover?

We custom-fabricate covers to the geometry of your lagoon, from smaller manure pits and storage tanks up to large municipal and industrial treatment lagoons. Each cover is built to the specific dimensions of the basin, fusion-welded in our shop and assembled and installed in the field. There’s no standard size — the cover is engineered to your lagoon.

How long does a lagoon cover last?

A properly engineered and installed floating cover lasts for decades. Service life depends on the geomembrane material and thickness, the quality of fabrication and seam welding, the ballast and rainwater management design, and the lagoon’s chemistry. Plastic Fusion builds covers for long-term performance — we have floating covers that have been in continuous service for well over a decade, and customers who return years later for additional projects.

Request a Quote

If you’re operating an open wastewater or manure lagoon and dealing with odor, algae, heat loss, rainwater, or lost biogas, an engineered floating cover solves all of it. Plastic Fusion custom-fabricates and installs the cover, ballast, and detailing to fit your lagoon and perform for decades. Contact us with your lagoon dimensions and goals for a quote.