Containment

A former lead and zinc mine and mill located near Leadpoint, Washington will soon be cleaned up thanks to a $1.36 million settlement agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and Blue Tee Corp., the former operator of the site. These funds will allow EPA to complete remaining cleanup work at this Superfund site.The cleanup also involves placing a protective barrier over contaminated sediments in the tailings impoundment pond and in other nearby wetlands.

Maccaferri is one of the world's largest geosynthetics companies. With operations around the world and a string of acquisitions that have bolstered its presence and range of offerings, the...

WestMoonint will raise its synthetic rubber hypalon rubber series price, because of the imbalance between hypalon rubber demand and supply and shortage of hypalon rubber replacement. Therefore, effective 1 January 2011, WestMoonint has raised hypalon 40 and hypalon 45 price at least US$152/mt and Euro 114/mt, across all overseas markets and end users.

GeoAmericas 2012 marks the Second Pan-American Geosynthetics Conference and Exhibition. It will be held 1-4 May 2012 in Lima, Peru under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). This week's update includes two key items: The Early-Bird Room Rate for the venue hotel (Westin Libertador Hotel) will be held open until 15 February 2012. Reserve your room today and get the best rate at this key Latin American infrastructure event. And: the GeoAmericas exhibit area is sold out! HOWEVER: at the request of a number of companies, the conference has created an additional exhibit area.

IECA has partnered with various sponsors to help provide financial assistance for industry professionals to attend Environmental Connection 2015. Recipients of these scholarships will be given a complimentary full-conference...

The HealthNoob blog has posted an entry on the importance of soil consolidation in construction. This includes a mention of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs). Learn more here.;

The year 2016 has seen considerable activity in geosynthetics manufacturing, despite a slow start for many producers. As has often occurred, conditions such as resin supply fluctuations,...

EPA has awarded $520,400 to Wayne, Nebraska, for improvements to its wastewater treatment plant project. Wayne's existing 25-year-old facility continues to generate odor complaints regarding the sludge treatment system. The grant will help construct a wastewater treatment plant which will address odor concerns.

Tri-Tech Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIT), a premier Chinese company that engineers, manages and monitors municipal sewer systems, natural waterways and other water resources, announced today the appointment of two new senior executives. Mr. Cliff Zhu was named general manager of the sales management department and Ms. Jenny Du was appointed general manager, department of marketing and communications. Tri-Tech designs customized sewage treatment and odor control systems for China's municipalities and larger cities.

After long and intense discussions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finally proposed the first-ever national rules to ensure the safe disposal and management of coal ash from coal-fired power plants. This movement has been put off for close to a decade, but the stunning failure of a disposal facility in Kingston, Tennessee pushed the issue to the front. The EPA's release notes that "...protective controls, such as liners and groundwater monitoring, are in place at new landfills to protect groundwater and human health. Existing surface impoundments will also require liners...." The addition of liners would bring controls to coal ash that are standard for municipal solid waste facilities. Also in the new rule are ways to beneficially reuse coal ash.

Civil engineers and construction professionals will meet international speakers, network with top-tier geohydraulics solutions companies, acquire practical engineering information to implement immediately, and have the opportunity to take part...

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) held its biennial membership meeting in February in Portland, Oregon. The event, which was attended by 37 participants, served as a transition point between...

Geosynthetics CQA is a key component to the effectiveness of the materials and their role in long-term service lives and the economical performance of infrastructure. CQA, like manufacturing quality...

Agriculture has grown rapidly, and not just as a critical piece of Vietnam's gross domestic product (GDP); the sector accounts for 24 percent of GDP. It's also the country's primary driver for export revenue (30 percent). These numbers have encouraged greater expansion, but that's coming with expected problems: animal waste pollution, extreme fertilizer runoff, irrigation conveyance problems, untreated waste entering streams, and many more. Better oversight and engineering is needed for continued, safe expansion. Learn more here.;

Everything's gone green, it seems. In Milwaukee, an Urban Aquaculture Center (UAC) is being developed to promote sustainable aquaculture and agriculture practices in the city and in the Midwestern United States. Molly Snyder Edler's article offers a peak at the prototype venture…though it seems there's a typo regarding the facility's proposed square footage. Learn more here.;

A new plan in Colorado hopes to rectify many decades of environmental injuries from mining practices that came before the advent of modern containment technologies. For example, the US Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a mine tailings treatment facility. Road widening has been proposed. All of it, however, requires significant government support. Stimulus funds have been applied for, and the plan backers are battling Colorado preservationists who do not want new development in the historic gold mining region. Learn more here.;

China is embarking on one of the biggest hydro-engineering projects in world history, but is being forced to navigate some troubled waters along the way. Scheduled to be finished in 2050, the plan to link China's four main rivers and redirect trillions of gallons of water from China's tropical southern mountains to its arid northern plains will have taken 100 years from conception to completion. Learn more here.;

8 October 2013 – Varennes, QC – Solmax, a worldwide leader in the manufacturing of geomembranes, is pleased to announce that it received the Export Award from Forum Africa 2013....

The International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) South African Chapter, the Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA), has published its latest newsletter. This issue features a lead article from Jonathan Shamrock (Jones & Wagener) on the significant changes coming to the country's waste management facility design regulations. Geosynthetics will play a key role in new designs, but with increased use comes the potentially increased risk of interface failure planes and heightened communication needs in the project cycle. Also of note in the issue: Peter Davies provides a barrier systems information archive recommendation, shale gas extraction is addressed, the winner of the IGS/GIGSA student award is announced, Edoardo Zannoni takes a stab at specifications, and Belinda Mills & Brendon Jewaskiewitz (Envitech Solutions (Pty) Ltd) write on "Geosynthetic Lining System Design versus Practical Installation: Lessons Learned." Read these articles and more in GIGSA's newsletter (PDF).

Kirra Point along Australia's Gold Coast lost much of its surfing strength in the 1990s, according to locals, when a long groyne at the site was shortened by about 30m. Now, a mayoral candidate has proposed re-extending the groyne, at least temporarily, with geotextile bags to evaluate if the groyne's structural changes were the cause of surf issues in the Kirra Point area. Learn more here.;

Firestone offers installation training all over the United States for its versatile PondGard EPDM liner. The four-hour session combines classroom demonstrations, discussion, and video training followed by time with Firestone staff. This seminar is designed for individuals interested in residential and light commercial lining projects (including backyard decorative ponds, retention ponds, waterfall features and the associated project nuances involved with these types of applications). The next sessions will be held in Westminster, Colorado; Grant, Michigan; and Uniontown, Ohio. Learn more here.;

This year's StocExpo was the biggest yet, with nearly 70 different countries represented. The three-day conference and exhibition, now in its sixth year, was held in Antwerp, Belgium. A strong mix of attendees from all aspects of port operations, construction and clients were represented. See statistics from StocExpo 2010, and learn the newly released details on StocExpo 2011.

Geosynthetics veteran Ian Peggs was in Abu Dhabi, UAE in November for the annual Geosynthetics Middle East conference. He writes of the fifth installment of the conference, "One day was devoted to geotextiles, geogrids, and geocells, while another was devoted to geomembranes. Approximately 350 people registered and represented 30 countries including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, UK, USA, Germany, Switzerland, India, Iran, China, Slovakia, and Poland. There were more than 30 exhibitors. The conference is organized by SKZ (Germany) with the assistance of BMC-Gulf." Read more.

The Maxey Flats Superfund site in Kentucky was opened this past week as part of a biennial open house. Guides allowed visitors to see the security of geomembrane cap over the old radioactive waste dump. From 1960 to 1978, the site had accepted toxic materials. The 60-acre cell's cap will receive a clean soil cover. Acquiring appropriate soil and establishing vegetation are immediate needs. Site officials report some animal damage (coyotes) with the currently exposed cap. Learn more here.;

Geotechnical engineering requires a lot of waiting. You wait on calls, test results, the weather. You wait on a construction activity to finish, on software to complete extremely complex...