Containment

HP today presented new research from HP Labs, the company's central research arm, showing how the manure output of cows and the heat output of data centers can be combined to create an economically and environmentally sustainable operation. In a research paper presented at the ASME International Conference on Energy Sustainability in Phoenix, Ariz., the HP researchers explain how a farm of 10,000 dairy cows could fulfill the power requirements of a 1-megawatt (MW) data center--the equivalent of a medium-sized data center--with power left over to support other needs on the farm.

In Camillus, New York, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) are talking to the public about a plan to dredge contaminated sediment from Onondaga Lake and transport it to a treatment site with double-walled, high-density polyethylene tubes measuring 16 inches in diameter. The water would be filtered out and treated, and the sediment would be stored in geotextile tubes in the sediment consolation area (SCA). Learn more here.;

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today announced former Vice President Al Gore as the opening keynote speaker for USGBC's annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo being held 11-13 November 2009, in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2007, Gore was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for his environmental activism. Read more in the release.

Additional information on the A&L Landfill problem in Lisbon, Ohio. Learn more here.;

Engineers and contractors in California are scrambling to incorporate significant new changes to rules for managing stormwater runoff during and after construction amid above-average rainfall this season. The updates--which are the state's first real code adjustments in more than 10 years--include numerical targets for runoff content; monitoring and reporting on conditions and activities before, during and after rainstorms; and leaving erosion conditions after construction equivalent to those before. It is another example of how low impact development (LID) strategies are influencing practice throughout the United States. Learn more here.;

The town of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada is installing a geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) system for flood defense. Gabions are a major part of the construction. The $4 million system, which is the first large-scale flood and debris mitigation structure in BC, was selected to add additional protections in the region ahead of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Learn more here.;

The 15,000 member Transportation and Development Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has announced its First Congress will be held 13-16 March 2011 in Chicago. The theme will be "Integrated Transportation and Development for a Better Tomorrow." Abstract submissions are invited through 20 April 2010. Five concurrent paper/presentation tracks, a technical tour and pre/post Congress workshops are planned. Prof. Imad Al-Qadi (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) and Scott Murrell (Port Authority of NY and NJ) are serving as conference co-chairs. Learn more here.;

The Thai Geotechnical Society will host the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society's 50th Anniversary Symposium. The international event, featuring 35 invitation-only presentations, will be held 14 - 15 September 2017...

SKZ, with scientific committee support from Cemagref and the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), announces the 3rd International Symposium on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, to be held at the Fortress Marienberg in Würzburg, Germany 15-16 September 2010. Abstract and papers for oral or poster presentations are invited on the following topics: Application / case studies (Landfills, Canals, Reservoirs / Dams, Transportation Infrastructure) • Durability / Lifetime • Laboratory testing • Performance (Cation exchange, Desiccation, Experience from excavation • Regulations / Approvals. Abstracts must be submitted via e-mail to: gbr-c2k10@skz.de no later than 30 September 2009. View the flyer in PDF.

Synthetic bags (from TenCate Geosynthetics) filled with sand was the solution that French and Norwegian partners came up with when they cooperated on a project to find new environment-friendly building materials that can withstand ice erosion and corrosion. Read more. Learn more here.;

The deadline for engineering professors to apply for a seat in the International Geosynthetics Societey’s non-commercial Educate the Educators program (4 - 5 December 2017, Kingston, Ontario) is approaching. All...

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has openly published the presentations from the 7th AgSTAR National Conference, which was held 10-12 June 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The presentations are...

Applied Market Information (AMI) has released the program and registration brochure for Waterproof Membranes 2010, the fourth international conference in this series. Waterproof Membranes 2010 takes place at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany 30 November - 2 December 2010. AMI is offering Euro 100 off registration for those who book their space before October 20. Learn more about this year's program.

Engineering work generally requires long hours in the field, in the lab, or simply chained to a computer inputting data, translating data, and assembling reports. To some, the concentration...

Early this year Prof. Robert M. Koerner (Geosynthetic Institute) published the 6th Edition of his seminal textbook Designing With Geosynthetics. As with prior volumes, it comes with helpful test questions after each chapter with answers provided at the end of the book. For this week's meetings at Geosynthetica's headquarters (in Jupiter, Florida) we downloaded the (less than) $3.99 (!!) Kindle volumes of the 6th Edition via Amazon.com to test out an e-reader version. And we're happy to report the the two-volume work flows nicely in its digital version. For geosynthetic engineering that you can take with you, give the e-book a spin. (You can also acquire print copies, of course, in either hard or soft bound versions.) Learn more here.;

Agru America's new plant in Fernley, Nevada is in the news. The company, which manufactures geomembranes and geocomposites, is seeking an economic development credit. Fernley was the site of a major canal breach not long ago, but even before that the community was in need of new employers. Learn more here.;

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics will hold a seminar on geosynthetics in India 2 – 4 December 2015. The event will be held at the Bombay Textile...

When Tropical Cyclone Yasi made landfall on Australia's Queensland coast in February 2011, it presented a major challenge to the coastal infrastructure. This category 5 cyclone--the most-threatening rating--included wind gusts up to 290 km/h (180 mph). Up the Queensland coast it turned from Cardwell to Innisfail, creating a 7m surge that scoured at the shore, destroyed property, and delivered floods that damaged the region's infrastructure. Four significant ELCOROCK® structures took the full force of cyclone Yasi and provided the product with a real test of its capabilities.

On 3 January 2012, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice requesting additional data on the performance of technologies in controlling turbidity in stormwater discharges from construction sites. The notice also requests information on other topics relevant to establishing numeric effluent limitations for stormwater discharges from these sites, including sample collection, applicability to electric transmission line construction, cold weather considerations, and the ability of small sites to meet a numeric standard. The comment period closes March 5. Simultaneously, the agency has submitted a final general permit on construction site stormwater discharges to the White House for review. This permit excludes turbidity limits. The final permit is expected by February 15. Learn more here.;

Whales (bubbles above the water level) in a lined wastewater pond are usually caused by leaking water that cannot be removed, which in turn generates methane that also cannot be removed. Minimize leakage through the liner (there will inevitably be some), provide a functioning leakage removal (monitoring) system, and a functioning gas venting system. A nonwoven geotextile alone under the geomembrane is not sufficient to do this.

Queensland, Australia, faces billions of dollars in damage after massive floods struck the state. At least 55,923 miles of roads need to be rebuilt, and sewer systems and parks will need massive repairs. "In some instance, we won't rebuild it exactly as it was. We might build it better or smarter," said Local Government Association of Queensland CEO Greg Hallam. "But we could never build anything that would withstand what we've seen." Learn more here.;

The Environmental Connection 2010 registration book is now available for you to download from the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) website. In an effort to reduce direct mail waste and the annual conference's environmental impact, IECA has elected to reduce the number of physical registration books it is sending this year. The full book and registration form have both been made available in an electronic format. Download the PDF (10 MB) today. Learn more here.;

"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.

Load support, slope remediation, stormwater control, and vegetated retaining walls: these are all mining applications for which highly effective, extremely durable, and easy-to-implement geocell solutions are available. Presto Geosystems’...

The 31st Geotechnical Conference and Exhibition of the German Geotechnical Society (DGGT) will take place 3-6 November 2010 in Munich at the International Conference Center of Munich. The event celebrates 50 years of DGGT events and activities. Presentations will include NAUE, Huesker, BBG and other geosynthetic-related companies. Learn more at the event website. Learn more here.;