Containment

An interesting, if brief, take from Fortune Magazine on the forthcoming water shortage…and business opportunities in it. From graphics depicting the disparity between water gallons it takes to produce a pair of blue jeans vs. a pound of steel to contrasting the price of 100 gallons of tap water in Buenos Aires and Copenhagen, it's a fascinating 10-slide story of facts, industry players, needs and more. 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 Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC) has published revised charts for Temporary Rolled Erosion Control Products (RECPs). The documentation identifies product characteristics, such as material thickness, tensile strength, ground...

Organizers for TechTextil North America have updated registration information for exhibitors and attendees at the conference website. The event will be held 21-23 April 2009 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Among the many sectors included in the show one will find geotechnical and building material suppliers. Learn more here.;

The latest issue of GIGSA News from the Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa is available. This issue includes stories on the return of HDPE geomembrane failures in Asia, specification savers, IGS election results, a letter from GIGSA President Garth James, "Geosynthetic Soil Reinforcement--Polymeric Geocomposites for Hydraulic Retaining Walls," defending the beaches of Durban, and more. GIGSA is the South Africa Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). Read the issue in PDF here.

The latest updates from ASTM International are available. In this final update for 2008, we have a new standard and work item from Committee D35 on Geosynthetics and a few items from the recently quite prolific Committee D18 on Soil and Rock. Visit the ASTM Update page for details.

In August 2016, over 11,000m2 of Geosynthetic Cementitious Composite Mat (GCCM) was installed as a protective liner for a large diversion channel at an underground zinc and copper mine...

Following the dramatic failure of the Kingston, Tennessee wet-coal-ash storage pond, the US federal government initiated a survey of its many similar facilities. The survey details are available. Many of the 584 facilities are more than 30 years old. A 1999 survey by the EPA found that only about one quarter of these structures were lined. Since the Kingston disaster, considerable movements have been made in state legislatures to mandate the use of containment liners, just as they are required for the waste management field. Read more in this article at Solve Climate's blog. Learn more here.;

TOLEDO, Ohio – CQA Solutions, Ltd. (CQAS) announced today that Kim M. Kline has joined the firm as the Sales and Business Development Manager to further develop their growing...

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) Region One has launched its Mentorship Program as a new membership benefit. The IECA Mentorship Program is a way for established members and students or new members to connect with one another and form partnerships of mutual learning as mentors and mentees. This program intends to provide a database of members, who have volunteered to serve as a mentor, to other members.

Hightex 2009 takes place in Montreal 7-8 October 2009. The event, which will be held at Montreal's historic Bonsecours Market, brings together various sectors of the techncial textiles industry, affiliated industries, government officials, and many more. The October 7 session will feature a number of construction and infrastructure-related presentations as part of the Constructex session.

The US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) has been engaged in an extensive levee reconstruction program throughout the New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) region ever since 2005's Hurricane Katrina. Geosynthetics have been an important part of the geotechnical solutions. In this case study from Colbond, we take a look at how wick drains have been used to prepare and stabilize the area's very soft soils in order to allow levee reconstruction.

When Geotechnical Frontiers 2017 convenes in Orlando, Florida, it will bring together members of the geosynthetics and larger geotechnical engineering communities. The conference, which occurs every six years, combines...

After two decades of environmental cleanup efforts, San Francisco's largest swath of undeveloped land is set to become a bustling residential and commercial center. The county Board of Supervisors has approved a project to develop the abandoned, 700-acre Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, a federal Superfund site on the southeast shoreline of the San Francisco Bay. Learn more here.;

Penton Media's 2010 Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS), an international forum for the presentation of peer-reviewed applied and fundamental research and case studies on waste management, announces a new special session: "Applicability of USEPA Greenhouse Gas Rules to Landfills," to be held October 4 from 12:00 - 2:00 pm at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. Learn more.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is developing new roads to improve access for residents who live near I-5 in the fast-growing zone along the Washington-Oregon border. As Associated Construction Publications (ACP) reports, the region is transitioning from rural to suburban infrastructures, populations and traffic volumes. But developers and officials want to keep the wilder appearance of the area, so they are using interesting drainage technologies for site runoff. Holding ponds release across geogrid slopes with tree branch cover. As the water flows through, it interacts with the brush as in a wetland. Eventually, it reaches a creek. Learn more here.;

The biennial Global Waste Management Symposium will be held 22 – 24 June 2014 in Orlando Florida. GWMS 2014, organized by Penton, offers a strong international perspective on waste...

A Federal judge on Friday ruled in a CERCLA lawsuit that plaintiffs NCR Corp. and Appleton Papers Inc. are liable for an estimated $950 million in combined cleanup costs and reimbursement of natural resource damages related to PCB contamination at the nation's largest Superfund site, located in eastern Wisconsin. The cleanup operations have used an extensive amount of geosynthetics, such as geotextile tubes.

The International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the IGS Secretariat role. The Secretariat will perform duties and provide deliverables as specified by the IGS Secretary and IGS Officers as required. Proposals should be prepared by interested parties and submitted to the undersigned by 20 June 2010. A decision is expected to be made by 30 June 2010. For information regarding the details, please see the RFP here (in PDF). Learn more here.;

A recent conference encouraged the government of Vietnam to invest considerably in more sustainable business practices and the environment. Representatives form 18 economic sectors, including civil engineering, aquaculture, transportation, and mining, estimated that 120 trillion VND (USD$5.3 billion) was needed for environmental protection. Greater regulation is also thought to be needed. Learn more here.;

Coffer dams that use geosynthetic material over frames--operating more like an impervious barrier than turbidity curtains--seldom make it into general discussions of flood defenses, but that may change. They are being used more in the central United States with so much flooding in Missouri and Arkansas. Learn more here.;

The state of Wyoming is not alone in the need to evaluate and potentially remediate old, unlined landfills. The American waste management sector has continually scored the highest grades in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) infrastructure "report cards." This is largely due to the geosynthetic liners required in modern landfills. But old landfills, pre-code, are another matter. Wyoming estimates it may need $225 million over 20 years to address problems. A new facility in Casper is helping ease waste management needs. Learn more here.;

By Robert M. Koerner – The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) will host its twelfth in a series of monthly GSI Webinars on May 14 (11:30 am – 1:00 pm EDT)....

In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, improve aging water and wastewater infrastructure and protect human health and the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $2,930,700 to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). This new infusion of money provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will help the state and local governments finance many of the overdue improvements to water projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment across the state.

The 5th European Conference on Geosynthetics (EuroGeo 5) will be held 16-19 September 2012 in Valencia, Spain. The Spanish Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) will organize it, and the event will be held under the auspices of the IGS. Authors interested in presenting a paper at the Conference must provide an abstract before 31 October 2011, addressed to the Conference Secretariat, through the Conference website. Abstracts received by fax or mail will not be considered. Further instructions to submit abstracts are available in the Conference website http://www.eurogeo5.org The abstracts must be written in English or Spanish. Learn more about the topics (PDF).