Containment

Royal Ten Cate has released an update regarding its first quarter 2010 performance. Of particular interest is the notes on the American geosynthetics market's "substantial recovery"; an upturn in the infrastructure market; and "strong developments in TenCate Geotube® applications." Read more in the release.

On Tuesday, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its first liner-based coal ash facility rules proposal. This would be a national rule and would represent a long-needed change in coal ash waste management in the United States. It should be noted that no small part in this issue was played by the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA), which has invested significant time in brining liner system benefits to the attention of lawmakers and legislation influencers in Washington DC. The new rule change may bring about liners to more than 900 facilities! Today, Wednesday, May 5, GMA will hold a teleconference call for its members at 2:30 pm (CDT) to discuss the EPA actions, the rulemaking process and GMA's response to the proposed rule. GMA members are encouraged to take part. For more information, contact GMA managing director Andrew Aho, amaho@ifai.com, +1 651 225 6907. Learn more here.;

Secure Energy Services Inc. ("Secure" or the "Corporation") (TSX -- SES) announced today that it has acquired the operating assets of Pembina Area Landfill Ltd. a subsidiary of Clean Harbors Inc. for a purchase price of $11.75 million (excluding transaction costs), which Secure paid in cash. The landfill is located approximately 60 kms northwest of Drayton Valley, AB in the Pembina oilfield.

Bernard Myles' funeral will take place at 2 pm on 14 May at Redstone Cemetery, Philanthropic Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 4DG, UK. Afterwards there will be a reception at Bletchingley Golf Club, Church Lane, Bletchingley, Surrey, RH1 4LP. Redstone Cemetery is 6 miles from London Gatwick Airport and 1 mile from Redhill station. Note that seating in the cemetery chapel is limited and that some guests may have to stand. For catering purposes Jeanne (Jan) would like to know approximately how many people will come to the reception. If you plan to come, or if you have any other questions, please e-mail or telephone John and Caroline Greenwood, (jandcgreenwood@hotmail.com; 01483 277558). No flowers please. It is planned that donations in Bernard's memory should go towards a bursary for a student of geosynthetics. Further details will be provided.

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) sent joint comments to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson regarding a petition recently filed by the Center for a Competitive Waste Industry asking EPA to reorganize and restructure the Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP). NSWMA and SWANA support LMOP and would like to see it continue as an effective advocate of methane recovery and reuse as a source of green energy. The associations are concerned that the recommended reorganization would jeopardize methane recovery and reuse.

The 24-acre Crystal Peak Park in Verdi, Nevada has not yet opened officially, but locals are already enjoying the revitalized park, which is sited on grounds once used heavily by a lumber mill. Two ponds on the site will be filled later this year, but only after funds are secured for acquiring pond liners. Learn more here.;

Data gathering work is nearing completion on the pumpback well system evaluation project at the Yerington/Anaconda mine. Pumpback wells were shut off in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the evaporation ponds and to fill in data gaps and further evaluate the project. Pond liners are expected to be repaired or replaced, especially where they use only old clay liners. Learn more here.;

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a new set of web tools, data, and interactive maps to inform the public about serious Clean Water Act violations in their communities. Improving water quality is one of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's priorities and in 2009, Administrator Jackson directed the agency to develop concrete steps to improve water quality, to better enforce the Clean Water Act and to use 21st Century technology to transform the collection, use and availability of EPA data. The web tools announced today is part of EPA's Clean Water Act Action Plan to work with states in ensuring that facilities comply with standards that keep our water clean.

The Otago Regional Council's launch of a rural water quality strategy for the region has been given added momentum by the findings of a major ORC study of the Pomahaka River catchment. The study underlined that sediment control was critical, as it could smother habitat, degrading river ecology, and be a source of phosphorus, which potentially increases algal growth in waterways. Read more.

Tri-Tech Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIT), a leading solutions provider to China's water resources, municipal wastewater and industrial pollution control markets, announced today the appointment of Bernstein and Pinchuk LLP, an independent member of the BDO Seidman Alliance, to serve as the company's independent auditing firm, effective 23 April 2010.

Cooley Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. David Shields to the position of Business Development Manager for Cooley Engineered Membranes. Mr. Shields' responsibilities will include identifying and developing new markets for the division. Mr. Shields has an extensive background with the aviation industry and was formerly Director of Business Development for a large specialty coating and laminating organization.

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has reapproved D6693, "Standard Test Method for Determining Tensile Properties of Nonreinforced Polyethylene and Nonreinforced Flexible Polypropylene Geomembranes," as D6693-04(2010). This test method is designed to produce tensile property data for the control and specification of nonreinforced polyethylene and flexible nonreinforced polypropylene geomembranes. These data are also useful for qualitative characterization and for research and development. It may be necessary to modify this procedure for use in testing certain materials as recommended by the material specifications. Therefore, it is advisable to refer to that material's specification before using this test method. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced WK28585, "Practice for Leak Location on Exposed Geomembranes Using the Water Lance System." This standard is a performance-based practice for electrical methods for detecting leaks in exposed geomembranes. Learn more here.;

Korea’s attempt to wrest 28,300-hectares of new land from the Yellow Sea has reached a major milestone 40 years after it was first proposed by former President Park Chung Hee. Four giant sea walls, 33 kilometers (20.1 miles) long, now surround the coastal areas of Gunsan City, Gimje City and Buan County in South Jeolla province, creating a massive sea water pool nearly two thirds of the size of Seoul. Over the next decade, the water will be gradually drained and filled in with sand, creating land for farming and development, and an 11,800 hectare fresh water reservoir. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) will hold the First International GSI-Asia Geosynthetics Conference at the Windsor Hotel Taichung in Taichung, Taiwan from 16-18 November 2010. The conference themes is "Geosynthetics in Infrastructure Applications." GSI's Geosynthetic Research Institute (GRI) annually holds an international event in North America. That event is nearing its 25th anniversary. The launch of an international forum serving the Asia region is exciting news. Read more.

Monsanto, a multinational agriculture company, has reached a settlement with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and landowners over PCB contamination in Big Spring Creek outside of Lewistown. FWP sought $10.5 million, in addition to punitive damages. The two sides have settled on Monsanto paying FWP $5 million. Learn more here.;

It is with great sadness that we must share the news of Bernard Myles' passing after a difficult and courageous battle with cancer. (We thank John Greenwood and Russell Jones for passing along news from the IGS UK Chapter.) Bernard's contributions to the IGS span some 25 years. He was a member of the first IGS Council formed in November 1983 and remained on the Council until 1992. He was later re-elected on the Council in 2000 and remained until 2008. Our thoughts are with his family in this difficult time. Learn more here.;

From 16-19 May 2010, the Federation of New York Solid Waste Associations will hold its conference and trade show. The event, which will operate under the theme "Strive for Sustainability," will be one of this year's best opportunities for geosynthetic containment discussions. Among the more than 90 technical sessions, two sessions may be of particular interest to geosynthetics professionals. Read more.

Royal Ten Cate (TenCate) has been nominated for the King Willem I Prize (Koning Willem I Prijs) 2010. The nomination of TenCate for the Dutch enterprise award is in the category for companies of more than 250 employees. The other two nominated companies in this category are Stage Entertainment and the VDL Group from the Netherlands. The King Willem I Prize is awarded once every two years by the Dutch King Willem I Foundation. Learn more.

ASTM Committee D35 will meet 8-11 June 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. The current schedule includes the second meeting on geocells, reinforced geomembrane seams, asperity height, GCL design guidance, and much much more. Participants are reminded that the cut-off date for hotel registration is April 29. The cut-off date for pre-registration is June 2. Visit the D35 page for registration information. Learn more here.;

The 4th World Bioenergy conference will be held 25-27 May 2010 in Jönköping, Sweden. Here's the latest from the event: the conference program features 81 speakers from 28 countries; a new torrefaction technology can help replace coal in power plants; and the matchmaking registration deadline extended to 12 May. Learn more about all of this and download the full conference brochure.

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPEC) has made available more than 40 technical presentations from GPEC 2010 online. For $150 for SPE members ($199 for nonmembers), you can access any presentation for a 6-month period and continue to learn. Because everything is hosted online, you will receive almost-instant access to vast amounts of technical information. Learn more here.;

The World Environmental & Water Resources Congress will be held 16-20 May 2010 in Providence, Rhode Island. It's an important opportunity for professionals in the environmental and water fields to convene and focus on topics of the day. This year’s technical program focuses on the Challenges of Change. Subjects include low impact developmetn (LID), watershed management, stormwater runoff, and much more. A draft schedule has been released for this ASCE event. See it and learn more at the event website. Learn more here.;

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold free events for the public on the National Mall this weekend to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The events will feature interactive, fun and educational exhibits related to environmental protection. Administrator Lisa P. Jackson will be at the EPA Earth Day tent on Saturday, April 24, between 12:00-2:00 p.m. Senior EPA officials will also be in attendance. In addition to events on the National Mall, on Saturday, April 24th, EPA is sponsoring an eCycling event at the National Harbor.

State Route 710, a freeway heavily used by commuters and trucks hauling goods from the nation's busiest port complex, runs 23 miles from Long Beach to an abrupt end just east of Los Angeles. From there, tens of thousands of vehicles a day spill onto Alhambra city streets to reach other freeways. The 4 1/2-mile gap between the end of the 710 and Interstate 210 in Pasadena is a startling deviation from the rule that freeways are king in California. Learn more here.;