Containment

Mining Engineering News has published a review of topics and speakers who took part recently in the International Erosion Control Association's (IECA) South Africa Chapter conference. For example, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s (DoA) Hans King spoke about the "knock-on" effect of erosion--how both erosion and solutions in one place can accelerate it elsewhere. The DoA's Christie Lourens added that 90% of soil erosion problems can actually be taken care of through properly maintaining soil cover. Read more. Learn more here.;

Classifieds: Investor with geosynthetics background interested in opportunities to invest in new products, inventions, or start-up ventures. Please submit opportunities for consideration to 925837@Geosynthetica.net. Please provide an executive overview of the...

Alpharetta, GA - The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) awarded Escambia County’s effort to remediate a variety of major issues at Saufley Field Road Construction and Demolition Landfill...

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a worldwide authority institution for standards, is featured in the latest issue of FITA's "Really Useful Websites" newsletter. FITA is an international federation of trade associations. The newsletter regularly includes import and export tips, international business networking opportunities, trade websites, and country profiles. The current profile: Nigeria. Learn more here.;

More than 100 road and drainage projects throughout unincorporated St. Tammany Parish are scheduled for next year using money from the parish's 2-cent sales tax. The parish's budget for 2010 provides for $17.5 million in capital improvements, including $10 million for individual road and drainage projects in each of the 14 council districts. Learn more here.;

In the Shasta Mountain, California area, cleanup of the abandoned Altoona Mine progresses. The area's newspaper has published an update and photograph of the work, which involves the installation of a triple bottom and cap system: clay, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane, and geotextile. Altoona Mine was once a gold mining site, and its cinnabar vein (inorganic, mercury sulfide) led to mercury production through 1968. Now that we have geosynthetic environmental controls, its hoped that future mining sites are protected during operations rather than only in retroactive legacy corrections. Learn more here.;

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is holding a two-day conference 10-11 February 2010 at Drexel University in Philadelphia to explore the most environmentally safe methods to clean up and revitalize contaminated properties. The Green Cleanup Symposium will feature presentations from the nation's top thinkers on how to properly clean up abandoned or contaminated properties so that the land can be reused as a safe and sustainable community resource.

The April/May 2010 issue of Geosynthetics magazine is avaiable in its digital edition for free online. Read it in PDF here. Learn more here.;

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was in charge of the unlined, Kingston, Tennessee coal ash storage facility when it broke in December 2008 and released more than 5 million cubic yards of coal ash across a couple hundred acres. Cleanup is expected to cost well more than $600 million. Currently, TVA is construction a gypsum storage pond, but the plans call for only a clay liner. Local officials are pushing for a geosynthetic lining system. Learn more here.;

The Canyon Creek Meadows Dam in Oregon is leaking. It's reservoir, which is now only filled with seasonal precipitation, has been prone to leaks since the 1960s when it was constructed. Locals would like to save the structure, but to do so will require improving the reservoir. Failure to do so will lead to either decommissioning the hydraulic structure or structural failure. Repair strategies being debated include lining the reservoir or even creating a double liner system of geosynthetics and compacted clay. Learn more here.;

After remediation of underground contaminants by Jersey Central Power and Light, the city of Cape May, New Jersey intends to purchase numerous properties in order to create a multi-use park. One of the sites is a former manufactured gas plant, which burned coal to produce gas for cooking and heating and left a number of toxins below ground. Those substances range from naphthalene to benzene. The contaminants extend as deep as 40 feet, but plans call for covering the site with clean soil and a geotextile barrier rather than excavating to that depth. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) has a long and successful record of promoting geosynthetics research in university engineering programs through is GSI Fellowship Awards program. The 2015 – 2016 Fellowship...

Plastemart reports that metallocene LLDPE resins and demand in China may pressure mLLDPE film and sheet, including geomembranes, below even simple LDPE. While mLLDPE was once difficult to process efficiently, newer developments, overcoming of technical hurdles and new activator technologies are making metallocene catalysts cheaper to use. Additionally, processors have modernized their equipment. Asia's capacity to produce mLLDPE is expected to increase significantly in the next two years. Learn more here.;

Olympia, Washington's Cooper Crest neighborhood was supposed to be a low-impact, exemplary new development that demonstrated low erosion, contained runoff in detention ponds, and provided plenty of vegetation. But residents have found the soil tricky, the runoff plentiful, and the hillside vegetation difficult to retain. From the Olympian. Learn more here.;

Nordic Waterproofing Group strengthens the position in Nordic Countries by acquiring Nortett AS in Norway. Since the end of the 1970s, Nortett (previously Paus and Paus) has sold and marketed products for roofs, walls and foundations.

The 11th International Conference on Geosynthetics (11ICG) will be held 16 – 21 September 2018 at Coex in Seoul, Korea. The program will feature 1,000 geotechnical engineering experts from...

During the GeoAmericas 2016 conference in Miami (April 10 – 13), GSE Environmental's Boyd Ramsey was honored by the International Geosynthetics Society North American Chapter (IGS North America) for...

In 1980, only 9 percent of global fish consumption came from aquaculture. Today, that number is 43 percent. In Scotland, aquaculture has actually overtaken sheep and pork to become the second-largest meat-producing sector, with a value of approximately £400 million ($630 million). The largest sector in Scotland is beef, with a value of £467 million ($730 million). Salmon consumption in Great Britain has risen 22 percent in the past two years. It's yet-another story that confirms the huge growth potential in aquaculture for ocean-base and inland hatcheries--particularly in Western nations. Learn more here.;

The Statesman reports that geotextile tubes are being installed along eroding shores in India on an experimental basis. One section of the test site will target eroding embankments in a 10 km stretch. If the project proves to be successful, similar schemes will be adopted elsewhere. Experts from numerous agencies contributed to the plan's design. Learn more here.;

TRI/Environmental has steadily (often quietly) added to its testing and training business over the years, but 2008 may have its most significant. New hires (including industry veteran Rich Lacey) have strengthened the efficiency and skill of TRI's work; new testing equipment has greatly expanded the company's capabilities, especially in geotechnical areas; TRI has achieved AASHTO's American Materials Research Laboratory (AMRL) certification; electrical resistivity testing training continues with participants coming from all over the world; the Denver Downs large-scale testing facility is maturing; and much more. It's been an important 2008 and bodes well for a strong future. Read TRI's annual letter for the full story.

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) has extended its abstract submittal deadline until Wednesday, 26 May 2010 at 12:00 pm (Mountain) for Environmental Connection 2011 (EC11). The event is the annual conference and expo of IECA. Combining quality education with a world-class expo, EC11 is the premier gathering place for the erosion and sediment control community, drawing attendees from over 20 countries and 150 exhibitors to Orlando, Florida, 20-23 February 2011. Any abstracts submitted after the deadline will moved to EC12 consideration. Learn more here.;

The latest report from Freedonia is called "Industrial Rubber Products to 2012." US demand for industrial rubber products is forecasted to advance 2.8 percent per annum to $18.6 billion. Growth in building construction expenditures will spur demand geomembrane products such as EPDM geomembranes. The study is currently available only for full purchase in print or by PDF, but within two months it will be available for chapter purchases. Learn more here.;

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).

Peak Engineering Technologies has changed its name to Peak GeoSolutions to better reflect the company's impressive growth in services. The February 2009 newsletter from the company reveals the name change, a new logo, and new service offerings, including geoelectric liner integrity surveys and technical tailgate training. Also, Peak is offering short courses: ** CQA/QC Short Courses for Compacted Clay Liner and Geosynthetic Installations, which features proctorship for the Geosynthetic Certification Institute - Inspector Certification Program (GCI-ICP); and ** a Peak-exclusive short course on total landfill construction and CQA. Learn more in the February newsletter.

By Dr. Piergiorgio Recalcati - On Wednesday, 28 May 2014, Gianmario Beretta was killed in lightweight aircraft crash in Northern Italy. Mr. Beretta was the founder of TENAX Group,...