Containment

The Canadian chapters of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) are holding a Canadian delegates breakfast on 23 September 2009 at WASTECON. The conference is held 22-24 September 2009 in Long Beach, California. Those interested in this relaxed breakfast should register by 15 August to guarantee a place. Learn more here.;

WASTECON 2010 will be held 15-17 August 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts. The organizers seek papers and presentations that will highlight innovations and improvements in 21st-century solid waste management. Of significant interest are papers on the “greening” of the solid waste field. Read more in the Call for Papers PDF. Learn more here.;

Golder Associates Ltd. is pleased to announce Mr. Mark Brightman, as President of the firm's Canadian operations. Brightman replaces Mr. Brian H. Conlin, who was recently appointed as President & CEO of Golder Associates' global corporation. Read more in the release.

Ian Peggs writes: "The objective of using a geomembrane liner in a potable water reservoir, a waste water treatment plant lagoon, a CAFO pond, or any other kind of liquid containment facility is, of course, to prevent loss of liquids which are obnoxious or valuable. Leaks are most undesirable, to say the least. But we have learned over the years that while non-leaking facilities can apparently be built, we should not rely on single liners to be totally impermeable, for nothing is." Read more in his article.

Ten years ago, the first of Poland's Special Economic Zone permits were issued. These permits enable investors to launch businesses, apply for certain support, etc., but also under strict business transparency and conduct regulations. Panto Poland Engineering in the Lodz SEZ has just become the 101st SEZ permit. The article about Panto's achievement also notes the interesting fact that CETCO Poland was the first SEZ permit recipient. The company continues operating strongly in Poland and elsewhere in the world. Learn more here.;

While the priests and brothers of St. Benedict's Abbey in Still River, Massachusetts did not find water when attempting to establish a new well, they did show an exemplary use of geotextiles in roads. To support the well digging equipment, a new road was needed. Mud lay beneath ice. After difficult prep work, geotextile separation fabric and an aggregate base were installed to stabilize the zone and allow work to go forth. Learn more here.;

Combining the efforts of two industry leaders in remediation technologies promises to provide increased value to the environmental remediation industry. Tensar International Corporation (TIC) announced that it has signed an agreement with CETCO Remediation Technologies (CETCO) granting exclusive distribution rights to the Triton® Marine Mattress System in the United States and Canada for subaqueous capping of contaminated sediments.

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.;

Applied Market Information (AMI) will host "The Middle East Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar" on 19 October 2009 in Cologne, Germany. This event has been offered twice already in 2009. This next session is your final chance of 2009 to take part. AMI reports that only five spots remain for the conference. Download the PDF brochure. Learn more here.;

ASTM International has announced its candidates for the organization's 2010 Board of Directors. Nominees were selected by the Nominating Committee. ASTM International's active members, such as participating members of Committee D35 on Geosynthetics, will receive voting instructions and biographies in the September/October issue of Standardization News. Also, along with electing the 2010 Board of Directors, ASTM members will be asked to recommend candidates from the ASTM International membership to serve on the 2011 Nominating Committee. Read the nominee list here.

Dennes Bergado writes on the forthcoming symposium "Geotechnical Engineering, Ground Improvement and Geosynthetics for Sustainable Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change including Global Warming." A list of speakers has been released and is contained in Dr. Bergado's write up. Of note, more than 30 technical speakers will be part of the event. They are coming to the conference from more than 15 countries. Also, a comprehensive technical exhibition will accompany the discussions. The symposium takes place 2-3 December 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand.

In August, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power will move into the construction phase on upgrades to the Santa Ynez Reservoir. The reservoir is for domestic and fire-fighting water in the Pacific Palisades area. During the three-month project, one of the many transformations occurring will involve the installation of a Hypalon-based floating cover over the 9.4-acre facility. The cover will be striped green and black to better blend into the area's hillside vegetation. Learn more here.;

Research and Markets has announced the addition of Textiles Intelligence's new report "Global Technical Textiles Business Update, 1st Quarter 2009" to their offering. The report includes a summary of market conditions, acquisitions, business news, and much more. Geosynthetic demand is expected to reach 905 million square yards by 2012.

Freedonia has published its latest geosynthetics market update: Geosynthetics to 2013. The survey includes analysis based on 38 companies and multiple world markets. Expectations show global demand for geosynthetics increasing 5.3 percent annually through 2013. China will account for the largest share of new global demand as it continues to develop large-scale infrastructure and erosion control projects. North America will remain the second largest regional market. Geogrids will achieve the fastest gains. Learn more here.;

About 175 municipal mayors from Regions XI, XII and the Autonomous Region for Moslem Mindanao attended a 17 July 2009 meeting in the Philippines to further the green agenda known as the Zero Basura Plan. Key to the plan is the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. Open dumps are being converted to sanitary landfills. Davao City, for example, has established Mindanao's first HDPE-lined waste facility: a 3.8-hectare installation that is helping spearhead change in the region. Learn more here.;

Since 1984, the Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority (CMCMUA) has opporated a lined landfill facility in Woodbine. This was New Jersey's first lined landfill. The facility has just received approval to add another 70 years of burial capacity to the area, so long as strict boundaries are observed to protect a rare woodpecker habitat. Learn more here.;

The World Water Council has selected Marseilles, France as the next host city for the World Water Forum. The event will take place in 2012. The World Water Forum is the world’s largest water gathering and brings together over 20,000 political leaders, NGOs, government officials, water professionals, and scientists every three years. Learn more here.;

East Coast Erosion Blankets, LLC, a leading manufacturer and global supplier of erosion control blankets and sediment control devices, has updated the company website to allow users to quickly access company and product information. The revised website features comprehensive information on East Coast's full product line in multiple languages. Key specification and industry information regarding rolled erosion control products (RECPs), large-scale testing, National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) approval and more is readily available. Read more.

SKZ's 2nd International Conference on Geosynthetics Middle East will be held in Dubai, UAE, 10-11 November 2009. The speaker and topic line up is certainly an impressive list. Ian Peggs of I-CORP will present on predicting end-of-life for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes and the incorporation of flexible solar cells on exposed landfill caps; Carl De Leon of Solmax will present on geomembrane liners in harsh, petrochemical containment operations; Detlef Schramm of Dow will present a geomembrane global review; Silke Schwöbken of SENSOR will present on drainage detection systems; and much more. Dr. Helmut Zanzinger will chair the seminar. Download the program in PDF. Learn more here.;

The city of Astoria, New York has opted to install a geomembrane liner and cover system on its reservoir as part of a long-range water conservation endeavor. Though the city is smaller than most that choose this route, officials are confident that the immediate and long-term conservation benefits will off-set the up-front cost. Learn more here.;

Net profit second quarter well over € 13 million. In advance of the publication of the half-year figures on Wednesday 26 August 2009 and on the basis of provisional results, it is announced that net profit for the second quarter fell back by approximately 26% compared with the second quarter of 2008. With a stringent cost reduction policy and a tight liquidity management, as of 30 June 2009 TenCate remained well within the covenants agreed with the banks. The debt / EBITDA ratio improved compared to the previous quarter to approximately 2.5 (covenant 3.0). Read more.

The contentious Site 41 landfill development in Barrier, Ontario, Canada has reached a highly unusual stage: a physical blockade of protestors. The site workers were on the brink of installing a clay and geosynthetic lining system, but work has had to be halted because of the protests and the timeline for construction is thinning considerably. It's costing the community roughly $80,000 per week. Learn more here.;

From coal ash disposal to landfill cell construction to mining processing controls, we're seeing renewed activity in the role regulation is playing around the world for ensuring the right envrionmental protection technologies are in place. Peter Garrett, the Australian government's Mininster of Environment, Heritage and the Arts, has issued a media statement on stringent, exemplary protections being implemented at a new uranium mine in South Australia. It's an appropriate addition to discussion, especially as global markets show signs of life and long-term mining forecasts are beginning to edge up.

Many Civil Engineers wish to use natural vegetation as a means of erosion protection. To enable engineers to do so while also offering reliable protection in the vulnerable period when vegetation is still developing, Colbond has introduced a new product: Enkamat J. Enkamat J combines for the first time a standard polyamide Enkamat with a biodegradable fabric stitched to it.

The winners of the New Zealand-based National Bank Young Farmer of the Year contest have been announced. Twenty-nine-year-old Tim O'Sullivan, who also operates Canterbury Environmental Liners, was one of the seven awardees. Within its product line, Canterbury distribures Firestone lining materials. O'Sullivan has successfully combined a dairy operations background with his geosynthetic lining business. Congratulations on the award, Tim! Learn more here.;