Containment

Geosynthetic Industrial Works Plc, a joint venture of Ethiopian and Egyptian companies, is to embark on a 40 million birr (USD $2.4 million) expansion project. Geosynthetic Industrial Works Plc is engaged in supply of plastic pipe, polymeric sheeting and various other products which are used for protection, collection, conveyance and containment of water resources. The company forecasts more than 150 million birr in business this year. Learn more here.;

The American Public Works Association (APWA) has announed the theme for the 2011 National Public Works Week, which will be held May 15-21: "Public Works: Serving you and your community." During this time, APWA encourages all public works departments to take part in activities that help promote the essential role its professionals play in society. A how-to guide has been made available online to help inspire ideas for events and participation. Learn more here.;

The first Pan American geosynthetics conference and exhibition to be held in 2008 in Cancun, Mexico. As the first regional conference organized by IFAI and IGS, GeoAmericas 2008 will promote new applications for geosynthetics, provide a forum for geosynthetics engineering, and serve as the marketplace for the promotion of geosynthetic products in the Americas. The preliminary announcement can be found at the "continued" link below.

From May 13 – May 22, Geofabrics Australasia is sponsoring an educational seminar series on “Retaining & Hydraulic Structures.” The event will be held in four cities and include...

"They figured they only had about 75 hours," USACE's John Neville writes. He was referring to the window of time before the city of Smithland, Kentucky might be flooded. The US Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District office joined this flood fight in late April, taking on a scale of flooding that hadn't been experienced in nearly 75 years in some parts of the region. For Smithland, the Corps used a new flood wall strategy: Defencell.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are evaluating the feasibility of developing brownfields and Superfund sites for renewable energy production. This could include exposed geomembrane caps with thin-film photovoltaic cells or rigid cells bonded to geomembrane or synthetic grass systems. Learn more here.;

The Welsh seaside town of Aberaeron has experienced significant erosion along and around its seawall defenses, in part because the defense system was out-of-date, and in part because the land behind it was so low. Regular overtopping required a constant repair process. But a new revetment scheme set on geotextile separation fabrics aims to defuse wave energy and prevent the land beneath from washing out. Learn more here.;

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plan to lift the recreational advisory for and reopen the Emory River on Saturday, 29 May 2010, at 7:00 a.m. The main river channel will be accessible to the public, but caution is advised. A no-wake zone has been established from Emory River mile 1.5 to mile 3 because large equipment remains in the area as TVA and EPA continue recovery of the Kingston ash spill.

The International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) has published the third issue of its 2012 volume of newsletter. Issue 28.3 delivers 40+ pages of stories from around the world, summarizing events, detailing opportunities in geosynthetics, profiling society activities, and more. Key stories in this issue include a reboot of the "Educate the Educators" initiative, results from the IGS Elections (2012 - 2016 term), the members-only proceedings library online, and much more.

Viking Containment has been awarded the Reuse Water Lagoon contract for the design, supply and installation of a liner and Floating Cover system by Gold Alliance for SA Water in Adelaide. The water to be stored in the lagoon is reuse water from the wastewater treatment plant it is treated and recycled water for irrigation purposes. The liner system is a reinforced polypropylene complete with a flownet leak detection layer. Learn more here.;

The state of Minnesota and 3M corporation have embarked on a historic $20 million project to reverse three decades of landfill pollution. Long ago, chemicals from 3M's manufacturing were buried in the unlined cell. Since then, pollution has been detected and regulations now require liners. A significant amount of waste (30 acres) is being exhumed and reburied on the same site after the modern lining system installation is completed. Learn more here.;

By Abigail Beck, TRI Liner Integrity Services -- New equipment has been developed that behaves like a spark tester, but doesn’t have to be performed on conductive-backed geomembrane.  It...

terrafix® has made substantial updates to the engineering information in its annual Winter Seminar Series, making this year's offerings more important even for those who have attended previously....

Due to popular demand, and after three sell-out sessions in 2009, Applied Market Information Ltd. (AMI) has added two new European dates in 2010 for the Middle East Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar: 27 January 2010 in Brussels, Belgium and 16 March 2010 in Cologne, Germany. Read more about this event in Jon Nash's letter.

The Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea) is days away from awarding the contract for a landmark water storage project that will create a three months emergency supply for the Emirate. The Strategic Water Storage/Recovery Project will involve the construction of three large basins, each of which will be filled with gravel and topped with a geosynthetic cover over a period of 30 months. From these basins, water will seep into the groundwater supply via PVC pipes. Learn more here.;

Conventional scour protections for off-shore installations are difficult to install and secure. Currents complicate foundations, creating a situation in which the installation will not be stable in the long term. Deep foundations are prohibitively expensive. In the growing wind farm sector, the large, heavy turbines must be protected against the erosive effects normal and sudden, strong, storm-induced currents. A durable and effective alternative has been found for securing these off-shore turbines: NAUE Soft Rock®.

The government of Manitoba has announced plans to commit $20 million over the next decade to help fuel the green products sector. A key focus will be on the utilization of natural materials, such as those typically used in erosion control blanket and hydromulch components. In fact, Premier Greg Selinger made the announcement at the Riverton, Manitoba headquarters of ErosionControlBlanket.com. CEO Mark Myrowich, who also heads Verdyol Biotic Earth, gave Premier Selinger a tour of the facility. Approximately $4 million was announced for funding to be committed this year. Learn more here.;

Fortune magazine's Dan Primack writes about Berkshire Partners' sale of Advanced Drainage Systems after 22 years of ownership. 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.;

HUESKER has published the English-language version of its application video "Sealing of a Stormwater Holding Basin with Tektoseal®". The video explains the sealing of a water reservoir via a project...

Stormwater industry leaders Craig Beatty, John Moll, and David Mongeau have co-authored an introduction to the newly formed Stormwater Equipment Manufacturers Association (SWEMA). They write, "The stormwater sector needs to band together for a common cause. We need to support the regulatory and engineering communities, as well as the individual cities and states now grappling with how to implement Clean Water Act and other stormwater regulations." Read more in their message and about SWEMA here.

ASCE's India 2010 conference--the 3rd International Perspective on Current & Future State of Water Resources & the Environment--seeks abstract proposals of 500 words or less on water resource planning, conveyance, infrastructure, innovative technologies, hazarous and solid waste management, and much more. Download a brochure for the call. Learn more here.;

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking applications to provide assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to complete a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, such as anaerobic digester projects. Funding is being made available through the USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill. REAP is designed to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses reduce energy costs and consumption and help meet the nation’s energy needs. For 2012, USDA has approximately $25.4 million budget authority available to fund REAP activities, which will support at least $12.5 million in grants and approximately $48.5 million for the guaranteed loan program.

WI Environmental LLC, an environmental solution company, has announced it has completed successful testing on acid mine drainage (AMD) and has passed all U.S. EPA tests including the TCLP test for leachability. Its trademarked product XR-88, removes and stabilizes heavy metals from acid mine drainage, including lead, nickel, cadmium, zinc, chromium, hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) compounds and arsenic to name a few.

Terrafix Geosynthetics, Inc. offers Triton® Stormwater Chamber Solutions, a high-strength, lightweight, comprehensive underground stormwater chamber management solution that effectively addresses the maintenance issues associated with underground systems. The potential LEEDs credits that can be achieved from using the Triton chamber system include: Sustainable sites (5 credits), Water efficiency (5 credits), Materials and resources (4 credits), Innovation and design process (4 credits), and Carbon neutrality (3 credits). Learn more here.;