Containment

CIMTEC 2010 is a multiple symposia gathering on new technologies and materials for various fields to be held 13-18 June 2010 in Montecatini Terme, Italy. Sessions such as "Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion: Materials and Technology Challenges" and "Materials Technology for Nuclear Waste Treatment and Disposal" may include applicable geosynthetic content. The conference has opened registration and extended to 20 April 2010 a final call for "Hot Posters" to allow time for poster presentations on more recent projects and research. Learn more here.;

The city of Franklin, Tennessee's 30-acre reservoir has been leaking for a number of years. An estimated 1 million gallons leaks from it each day. But crews will soon begin to drain the reservoir ahead of a three-month crack repair plan. This involves the installation of a new geomembrane liner for long-term containment and the removal of 26,000 cubic yards of silt to restore the facility to capacity. Learn more here.;

The annual geo-congress of the Geo-Institute of ASCE is being held in West Palm Beach, Florida right now. This is an almost unfairly convenient location for Geosynthetica, as we are headquartered in West Palm Beach (about 1 mile from the conference site). Last night, the exhibit hall opened with a reception for GeoFlorida attendees. Elizabeth Peggs has posted some photos from the exhibit hall opening.

The final day in Dallas, Texas for the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) conference (EC10) was, as one might expect, fairly quiet. But it gave us a bit more time to follow up on conversations from those first couple days of early-morning-through-evening meetings. Also, many of the attendees who spent the previous days in sessions spent a good amount of time finally walking the exhibit hall floor with their conference bags to collect samples and literature. Read more from the final morning.

The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has launched the Asia Pacific Textile News in support of IFAI Expo Asia 2011. The inaugural issue (January 2010) includes a reprint of an article from Geosynthetics magazine regarding the growth of geosynthetics in China. Read the January 2010 issue here. Learn more here.;

The U.S. Army and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service failed to comply with critical environmental laws related to underground tanks used to store diesel fuel, gasoline and used oil at the West Point Garrison in New York, according to a complaint issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Both military branches failed to monitor, test and keep records for their underground petroleum storage tanks. Leaking underground storage tanks pose significant threats to soil, surface water and ground water across the nation. EPA is requiring the two parties to comply with regulations and is seeking a $167,116 penalty.

The 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG) will provide an opportunity to learn about and discuss highly technical and scientific geosynthetics issues and their solutions. A primary objective of the conference is to present the most recent developments, improvements and new technologies from the international geosynthetics community. This quadrenniel event from the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) is a must-attend for its short courses, keynotes and networking. Learn more about the conference and register today. Learn more here.;

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has named Robert E. Mackey, a partner and senior design engineer at S2L Inc. in Maitland, Florida, as its new chairman. The 300-member committee oversees 130 ASTM standards related to the geosynthetic industry. In addition to his duties as chairman, Mackey also works on several D35 subcommittees and is a past chair of Subcommittee D35.04 on Geosynthetic Clay Liners.

To drive growth for the DuPont™ Typar® physical vapor deposition (PVD) business in Vietnam, DuPont Building Innovations and its strategic customer, DAEHAN i.m., recently organized a seminar, held in Ho Chi Minh City. Seminar attendees included 150 project owners, civil engineers and contractors. Seminar topics included soft-soil improvement techniques, DuPont™ Typar® for PVD filters and DAEHAN i.m.'s PVD products.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold its 5th National AgStar Conference 27-28 April 2010 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Conference organizers have opened registration and released an expected program, which focuses heavily on the use of anaerobic digesters and making these systems profitable in the ag sector. An optional half-day tour of two anaerobic digester system at 4,000-head farms is offered too. Learn more and download a copy of the program at the AgStar Conference website. Learn more here.;

Applied Market Information (AMI) has announced a date change for its Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar 2010. The event will be held in Brussels, Beglium on May 20 (instead of the originally scheduled May 13). The discussion will focus on understanding the future shape of the plastics industry, and the way in which plastics processors will have to adjust to the rapidly changing world. AMI has revised all its forecasts and trend analysis on a worldwide basis. This data will be presented exclusively to attendees at Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar 2010. Learn more here.;

Fredericton, Canada's ADI Group Inc. and its subsidiaries ADI Systems Inc. and Geomembrane Technologies Inc. announced they have been selected as a platinum winner in the Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies program. "To achieve platinum status, which involves being recognized as one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies for six consecutive years, is a remarkable achievement," said Hollis Cole, CEO of ADI Group, in a release. Learn more here.;

In Olympia, Washington, Intercity Transit is closing in on acquiring land and approval to construct a park-and-ride facility atop an old landfill section that was closed and capped eight years ago. Bore samples to characterize the garbage have been taken. A grant will be used to construct the park-and-ride lot, which could open in mid-2012. The lease would be for 20 years with an option for another 20 years Learn more here.;

Students are invited to submit abstracts for publication in the conference proceedings and presentation during Geo-Frontiers 2011. Papers of interest include new research, design initiatives and innovative geosynthetic solutions. Five students will be selected as finalists for the Geosynthetics Student Paper Competition. The winner will receive a $500 award and $250 for travel expenses. Runners-up will receive a $250 award and $250 for travel expenses. Read more.

Our second day at EC10--the largest soil and water event in the world--has been another very full day. From large-scale erosion and sediment control testing discussions to stormwater specification writing, from reclamation of oil and gas properties to LEED certification, Thursday's educational sessions hit upon the key issues of the day in the erosion and sediment control field. Joel Sprague of TRI/Environmental, for example, presented on a topic you'll soon see much more about both on Geosynthetica and in the overall industry: "Performance Testing of Sediment Retention Devices." Read more.

It has come to our attention that there have been some significant Rapid Crack Propagation (RCP) stress-cracking (SC) failures of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes in Asia. These failures seem to reproduce the RCP "shattering" failures experienced in North America in the late 1980s. Failures of this sort have seldom been found since the 1980s. Extensive research and testing in North America and Europe have provided the geomembrane manufacturing industry the tools to eliminate these problems. Until these new cases from Asia came to light, failures like this had not been occurring. Read more in Ian Peggs's article.

Geosynthetics are polymer-based synthetic materials, which are used with rock, earth, soil, or other materials associated with geotechnical engineering, for facilitating cost efficient projects in transportation, building, construction and environmental sectors. Increased spending on construction and infrastructure development activities is expected to boost global demand for geosynthetics. Transportation sector offers growth opportunities due to the ability of geosynthetic products in enhancing durability of roads, improving drainage facilities, and facilitate construction of erosion-preventing structures. All these are achieved at a lower cost as compared to traditional products. Landfill market represents another key focus area for geosynthetics (geomembranes), owing to their increased usage in sealing waste containment areas and leachate pits. Learn more.

A 10-acre landfill near Greenville, South Carolina is part of a long-awaited remedy to clean PCBs from Lake Hartwell. Dredging of 450,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment will begin soon. The lining system installation is being completed right now as is site erosion control work. With its hilltop location, the tight timeline, and the unusually difficult weather, one project engineer has noted that it may become well-covered in publications as an exemplary PCB management project. Learn more here.;

Plastemart has published a review of Waterproof Membranes 2009 (and something of a preview of Waterproof Membranes 2010). This article includes, we're happy to say, reference to Geosynthetica's presentation on the incorporation of photovoltaics in waterproofing systems. Learn more here.;

TRI/Environmental will host another CQA Week that offers essential education in these areas during the week of 12 November 2010 at its Austin, Texas campus. Activities will include both classroom and field study (in on-site test pits) of liner integrity surveys--also known as, leak location--with electrical resistivity testing; two days of QA/QC short courses on geosynthetic installation and use of compact clay and geosynthetic clay liners; and the CQA Certification Exam from the Geosynthetic Institute's (GSI) CQA Inspectors Certification Program. Learn more about it here.

Levees in the New Orleans area are being decertified at the moment. Faced with an estimated need of $100 billion to properly fix the region's levee system and prevent another disaster such as the failures that occurred during 2004's Hurricane Katrina. Decertification will affect zoning and property issues. The US Army Corp of Engineers has made repair proposals, but those plans are contingent upon significant funding increases necessary to take on responsibility for the larger system and correct it. Learn more here.;

Three local ranchers first formed the Selah Ditch Company in 1888 after several name changes it is now known by the Naches Selah Irrigation District (NSID). Currently the NSID provides 50,643 acre-feet per season for irrigation to the Yakima and Naches, Washington area ranchers in central Washington. Several lining systems (concrete, asphalt, and others) have been used in the NSID area over the years. Recently, the district installed Coletanche ES 2 from Axter Coletanche.

AMI is pleased to invite you to consider speaking or attending the 4th international conference on Waterproof Membranes to be held from 30 November to 2 December 2010 at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany. There is a welcome reception and registration on the first evening followed by a two-day technical program. AMI's Sally Humphreys writes about the event and the expected topics.

After the deep freeze of 2008 and early 2009, new mine and project activity in Canada is heating up again. Like their peers around the world, Canadian miners and developers responded to the financial crisis and low metals prices by closing mines, curtailing production, delaying projects and deferring exploration. Going into 2010, however, the industry is buzzing with activity once again. (Continued.) Learn more here.;

Ground engineering and environmental services firm Golder Associates and the Canada-South Africa Chamber of Business held an interactive forum at the yearly Mining Indaba, in Cape Town, which focused on whether or not Africa was choosing its investors wisely for its own growth and development in the mining industry Learn more here.;