Containment

A proposed Monsanto Co. phosphate mine slated to produce ingredients for Roundup weedkiller generated nearly 7,000 public comments, including from a former U.S. Interior secretary who urges its approval and the Environmental Protection Agency, which wants additional pollution safeguards. The Bureau of Land Management will review the comments to see if a plan for the Blackfoot Bridge Mine released earlier this year merits changes. Final approval of the mine could come by next summer. Geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) may be part of a $25 million liner system to contain runoff from on-site piles. Learn more here.;

With a rapidly growing global sales and manufacturing presence, Strata Systems, Inc. has developed more regionally targeted portals in support of its clients and Strata’s soil reinforcement products. In...

Many levees in California are in need of repair, according to experts. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pledged $500 million to upgrade the state's levee system, but the Army Corps of Engineers -- which is busy in Afghanistan -- is needed to fix most of the levees, an official said. Without repairs, a levee failure in the Sacramento area could hamper the ability of 25 million Californians to secure fresh water, experts noted. Learn more here.;

It’s Tuesday and attendees and exhibitors are arriving in Salt Lake City, Utah for the biennial Geosynthetics conference. Geosynthetics 2009, managed by the Roseville, Minnesota-based Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), is being held under the theme “Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering,” two subjects key to Western states like Utah. Geosynthetica is a cooperating organization for this year’s event. We’re proud to be part of this seminal gathering for North America’s geosynthetics practice. Reports from the conference will be published daily (Wednesday – Friday, February 25-27) and a wrap-up will be published next week.

Environmental Connection 2013, annual conference and expo of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA), is the world's largest soil and water event. Combining quality education with a world-class expo, Environmental Connection 2013 is the premier gathering place for the erosion and sediment control community. Don't miss out as Environmental Connection comes to San Diego, 10–13 February 2013. Learn more about the short courses, early registration rate, and much more here.

Steel producer ArcelorMittal has planned a landfill in Burns Harbor, Indiana; but the company is facing a number of questions from the public and environmental advocacy groups who would like specifics on what the company plans to bury. What's most interesting about this case is that public questions seem to have arisen primarily in the wake of ArcelorMittal revealing the degree of containment technologies they plan to use. That is, presenting a modern system that exceeds the state's minimum design seems to have raised some concerns. Learn more here.;

The much-maligned Union-Go Dairy in Indiana has finally received approval for its solution to whales in its lined manure lagoon. It's April Fool's Day, but this is no joke: they're going to pop the methane-filled geomembrane "bubbles" today. Attempts will be made to control the release. Learn more here.;

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has published its June 2010 Country Analysis Brief. The current focus is on Egypt. Egypt is a significant oil producer and a rapidly growing natural gas producer. The Suez Canal and Sumed Pipeline are strategic routes for Persian Gulf oil shipments, making Egypt an important transit corridor for world oil markets. Learn more here.;

Dave Presby, of Presby Environmental, Inc, based in the North Country town of Whitefield, has been in the wastewater treatment business a long time. His dad started the company in 1948, and Dave Presby began installing septic systems at the age of 15, which gives him 45 years experience. He's now designed a pipe system that treats effluent as it passes through. Learn more here.;

Jennifer Hildebrand will lead the Internatinoal Erosion Control Association's (IECA) next free webinar event, "Construction Inspection Techniques That Really Work." This webinar will look at inspection programs that really do work! The focus will be both from the perspective of the inspector for a regulatory agency and the inspector who may be inspecting their own sites. It is worth 1 PDH. Learn more here.;

Olympia, Washington's Cooper Crest neighborhood was supposed to be a low-impact, exemplary new development that demonstrated low erosion, contained runoff in detention ponds, and provided plenty of vegetation. But residents have found the soil tricky, the runoff plentiful, and the hillside vegetation difficult to retain. From the Olympian. Learn more here.;

The 1st Edition of the "DPC Geosynthetics Market- UK 2009-2013" provides a review of the structure of the damp proof course, damp proof membrane, and geomembrane markets. This niche report focuses on market size and trends, product mix, supply, distribution and future prospects. Some of the companies included: Anderson Monarflex, British Polythene Industries, Grafton Group, Hyload, Icopal, Jewson, Marley Waterproofing, Monarflex acoustic, Permanite, Plysolene, Ruberoid, SIG, Spectraroof, Travis Perkins, Visqueen Building Products, Watts Group, Wolseley. Learn more here.;

Denver, Colo. – The International Erosion Control Association Region One (IECA) staff celebrated the fifth annual World Parks Day by participating in a park clean‐up project at Greenway Park...

Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics has announced the launch of its Coretech® barrier membrane technology platform, which enables the engineering of versatile and lightweight chemical and biological-protective composites. Among the cited uses of the technology is Coretech® EnviroGuard for chemical or fuel containment bladders or tank liners.

Geosynthetics 2015 will be held 15 - 18 February 2015 in Portland, Oregon. Today (April 15) is the final day to submit abstracts to the conference's technical sessions. Ian...

On Tuesday, 3 November, our engineer colleagues and friends Gaye Sprague and John Paulson were elected to their city councils. At a time when so much of American government is debating infrastructure, it seems especially relevant and important to have civil engineers serve in office. Read about them here.

The Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery in North Dakota is currently lining more of its ponds. The expansive site has had a mix of lined and unlined ponds, and over time hatchery personnel have reported significantly higher, healthier yields with lined ponds. When federal funds became available for improving the facility, which is an important link to fish supplies in the Midwest, the hatchery capitalized on the opportunity. Installation work is going on right now. Learn more here.;

Por John Sankey e Robert Lozano - Normas técnicas para reforços discretos de fitas utilizadas em muros de solo reforçado,  elaboradas no âmbito dos códigos da AASHTO, identificaram um método...

ThePoultrySite reports that a manure management webcast will be offered on May 16. The market-based presentations, which will include three one-hour sessions, focus on topics such as gaining carbon credits through capturing methane with covered lagoons and digesters. The seminar is hosted by the Livestock and Poultry Environmental (LPE) Learning Center. Learn more here.;

In late 2019, the GeoEngineering Centre posted a video presentation from Queen's University PhD student Vanessa Di Battista. The topic, “GCLs and Antarctica: Effects of Subgrade on Hydration and...

Geofabrics Australasia has developed a suite of videos that explain various standardized tests on geosynthetics. While these videos focus specifically on Australian standards, they are highly applicable to testing conducted...

Going green has environmental benefits, but until now there has been little data to show how retrofitting buildings with greener technologies can save energy and money. Now, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation is financing the creation of a database of hundreds of retrofitted buildings in New York. "The largest obstacle to making these practices go mainstream is data that will convince building owners to retrofit their properties," said Gary Hattem, foundation president. Learn more here.;

From 28 November - 2 December 2022, TRI Environmental will host the next Geosynthetics CQA Week Online Training. The live, digital format and half-day sessions are ideal for balancing...

A link to the Wall Street Journal article referenced in the geosynthetica news item "Animal Waste Debate" from 24 September 2008. Learn more here.;

ASTM Internnational Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced work item WK38128, Guide for Identification, Packaging, Handling, Storage and Deployment of Fabricated Geomembrane Panels. The title and scope are in draft form and are under development within this ASTM Committee (D35.10 - Geomembranes). Learn more here.;