Containment

The city of Franklin, Tennessee has been given the greenlight to proceed with a $4 million refurbishment of its leaking potable water reservoir. The money will come from the US federal stimulus package and a state loan. While significant soil must be removed and the site regraded, the true site containment upgrade will be the addition of a geomembrane conservation liner. Learn more here.;

In response to multiple international requests, the organizers of the 6th European Conference on Geosynthetics have offered a final extension for EuroGeo 6 abstracts.  All submissions to be considered must be submitted...

The world's largest manufacturer of fiber optic sensors for civil engineering applications and the world's leading provider of geosynthetics are collaborating in the development of a unique geotextile monitoring solution -- TenCate GeoDetect® -- that will provide unprecedented detail about the properties of embankments, slopes, walls, levees, roads, rails and other earth structures. Customers will benefit from the real-time monitoring of every square meter of land for ground movement, soil erosion, settlement and other changes. Read more.

The dispute continues over whether England's first artificial reef--created with the placement of geotextile bags--has fulfilled its goals. Some (including many surfers, for whom the reef was ostensibly created) believe it has achieved only 4 of 11 stated goals. The design team believes it has met 10 of 11 goals. But what everyone seems to agree on is the undersea life it has promoted. The reef has developed vegetation and fishing has improved. Two studies are tracking it. Learn more here.;

Organizers fo Venice 2010, the 3rd International Symposium on Energy from Biomass and Waste, remind interested participants that abstracts will be accepted through 31 March 2010. Extended abstracts should be at least one but no more than two full pages. An abstract preparation form is available on the conference website. The event will take place 8-11 November 2010 in Venice, Italy. It is organized by the International Waste Working Group (IWWG). Learn more.

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) is looking for innovative and enthusiastic members that have the vision to help lead IECA to new levels of success. Please consider running for the IECA Board of Directors. If you are interested in serving and have questions, please contact Executive Director Russ Adsit by email at russ@ieca.org. Learn more here.;

ASCE's Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI) and the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) will co-sponsor Dredging 2012. The event is being developed by COPRI's Waterways Committee. For more information on the conference or for related questions, please contact Kelly Barnes at Kelly.J.Barnes@usace.army.mil. To join the conference organizing commitee, please contact committe chair Mike Cox at michael.d.cox@usace.army.mil or COPRI at copri@asce.org. More information will be posted on the event website as it becomes available. Learn more here.;

Congratulations are in order! Just prior to EuroGeo 5 in Spain, NAUE Geosynthetics' Andreas Dürbaum competed with teammates Christoph Dieker and Inga Hormann in Portugal at the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Single Driving Championships. Not only did the overall German team—which was comprised of three squads—win the team gold, but Andreas and his partners won the individual gold medal. Read more.

The PA Department of Environmental Protection announced today that Chief Oil and Gas LLC has paid $180,000 in civil penalties for a hydraulic oil spill and for failing to properly maintain a drill pit at a Marcellus Shale natural gas well in Jefferson Township, Somerset County. A June 10, 2010 site inspection by DEP found evidence of the discharge of hydraulic oil onto the ground. Operators are required to notify DEP of any spills of that nature because the oil is classified as a residual waste. Chief did not notify DEP of the spill and was not permitted to discharge residual waste at the site. Chief Oil and Gas has since successfully remediated the site.

Chris Petersen, president of the Iowa Farmers Union (IFU), testified before a Congressional committee last month regarding the Clean Water Act. IFU's position is that concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) should not only have to post bonds to cover any future cleanup costs and have a manure storage closure plan. CAFOs have come under increased scrutiny in the absence of manure controls and the long-term cleanup costs associated with them. Learn more here.;

The Swabian Gate Weir was constructed in 1873 on the Dreisam River in Freiburg/Breisgau, Germany. The historic installation was listed for monument protection, but its decaying state began to...

The 11th International Conference on Geosynthetics (11ICG) will be held 16 – 21 September 2018 at Coex in Seoul, Korea. The program will feature 1,000 geotechnical engineering experts from...

A group of researchers under prof. Ehud Gazit at the Tel Aviv University were looking for a cure for Alzheimer's Disease when they discovered a new way to get peptides to self-assemble at high-temperatures in a vacuum. The resulting structure, a "peptide forest," has some interesting physical properties that could make it useful for solar energy. This "peptide forest" is useful in that it repels both water and dust. If solar panels were coated with it, they would be self-cleaning and could produce more clean energy. Learn more here.;

The Global Plastics Environmental Conference (GPEC 2010) will be held 8-10 March 2010 at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center in Orlando, Florida. GPEC is sponsored by the Plastics Environmental Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). The theme of GPEC 2010 is "Sustainability and Recycling: Raising the Bar in Today’s Economy." The conference invites your abstracts through 1 October 2009. Final papers will be due 1 December 2009. For more information, view the Call for Papers in PDF. Learn more here.;

The 7th edition of the international conference and exhibition Geosynthetics Middle East 2015 (GeoME 2015) once again turned the capital of the United Arab Emirates—Abu Dhabi—into an international meeting...

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has published D7613, "Standard Specification for Flexible Polypropylene Reinforced (fPP-R) and Nonreinforced (fPP) Geomembranes." This is a new standard and may impact hydraulic application material selection, such as pond liners. Tests and property limits used to characterize the sheet are values intended to ensure minimum quality. In-place system design criteria, such as field-seaming strength and material compatibility among others, are factors that should be considered but are beyond the scope of the specification. . Learn more here.;

The Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) is to very well attended. Sunday evening opened with an evening reception on the lawn of the host site, the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort. Monday morning started bright and early with a 7:30 breakfast in the main exhibit room, which bustled with activity right up until Dr. Thomas Christensen's Keynote Lecture at 8:30. Read more.

Henderson County, North Carolina's neutral-revenue tax discussions are telling of the trend in county-level environmental management concerns. Listed among the county's top priorities are school funding, $30 million in new development, erosion and sediment control measures and enforcement, and waste management. Learn more here.;

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) inducted new Officers and Board of Directors at the ASCE Geo-Frontiers Conference, March 13, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. The annual FGI membership meeting, held...

The Freedonia Institute's latest geosynthetics market report ("Geosynthetics to 2012") indicates that demand for these materials will advance 2.5 percent annually to over 900 million square yards in 2012. This projects a value in excess of $2 billion. Freedonia expects that gains will be promoted by rebounding road and highway construction spending. In the near term, demand is also expected to be promoted by components of the Obama Administration’s economic stimulus program that involve public works. Geosynthetics can be used to stabilize foundations, promote drainage and prevent erosion, generally at a lower cost than alternative products. Demand for high-performance geosynthetics, such as geomembranes, geogrids and preformed geocomposites, will outpace demand for less costly geosynthetics. Learn more here.;

After 28 years, the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS) may be on the verge of a name change. The organization, which is a chapter of the International...

Duke Energy plans to spend $140 million in the Carolinas -- $365 million company-wide -- by 2013 on protective caps and liners at its ash landfills, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The liners are intended to keep ash that is laden with arsenic, mercury and other metals from contaminating groundwater. Learn more here.;

Brock Peters and J.B. Dixon will teach you that compliance doesn't have to break the bank. With a change in mindset, many of the everyday problems on construction sites could be eliminated. Attendees will learn that stormwater management is part of all construction projects and they do not have to view compliance with disgust, anger, dread or resignation. Learn more here.;

Saudi Arabian investors are reportedly planning to pump large sums into developing aquaculture projects not only in the region, but in depressed areas of Asia and Africa. The Saudi-based National Prawn Company (NPC) intends an initial investment of USD 300 million (Dh1.1 billion) to start large-scale fish production in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, says the latest edition of Hatchery International…. Learn more here.;

Not long ago, Brian Horne, owner of SLRD Company Mullica Hill LLC, bought the Henry Harris Landfill in New Jersey for $10. The site's waste operations were ceased in 1980. Horne, a 25-year veteran of landfill remediation, hopes to build an outlet mall or business park on the 50-acre site. But he'll first need to add a $3 million geosynthetic cap, amend tears in the the old liner, and address local concerns over disturbance and disposal of site soils. Learn more here.;