Containment

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that Northern Arizona University's Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals received a $1.75 million grant to support a steering committee of tribal co-regulators to work with EPA on solid and hazardous waste cleanup issues. EPA is also releasing a tribal strategy to advance the protection and restoration of land in Indian country. The new strategy provides a detailed plan of how EPA will strengthen its partnership with tribes to advance the shared goal of protecting public health and land resources in Indian country. Read more.

Geomembrane and fabrication specialist firm BTL has issued its annual letter regarding holiday closure dates. The company and its staff will close for a holiday mid-day on December 23 and will reopen on January 5. Read general manager Ron MacKenzie's letter here.

Applied Market Information (AMI) has released the brochure for Polyolefins Additives 2009, the 2nd international conference on Polyolefin Additives. The event will be held at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany from 30 March - 1 April 2009. Adding value and enhancing performance are key functions of additives for polyolefins. The chemical industry is constantly aiming to produce better products and this conference brings together experts in plastics and additives to discuss the latest developments. Download your copy today.

This year, Oregon-based BTL moved into a cavernous new facility--one that can finally meet its project demands. This is the second facility expansion move for BTL in only a few years. One project that underscores the advantages of the new headquarters is the 105,000 sq. ft. single-panel of 20-mil geomembrane that the company fabricated for a pond liner project in Wisconsin. Read the case study here.

We have a number of stories were following in the global press that may interest users of geosynthetics. A handful of them are highlighted on our Press Brief page along with news of events we've added to our database. More updates will be available as stories are produced and events announced throughout the day. Visit the Press Brief page.

Rapra has announced the publication of Tank Linings for Chemical Process Industries by V.C. Chandrasekaran. Rubber linings can be used as passive protection against the corrosion of plant and equipment in the chemical process industries. Rubbers act as sacrificial materials reacting or un-reacting with the corrosive media. Rubbers age but their life cycle is good enough to protect the metals against corrosion and erosion. This book describes exactly how to use rubber as a lining in tanks and how to overcome problems associated with this technique.

Malaysia-based Star Online reports that Khazanah Nasional Bhd aims to become the largest shrimp producer in Malaysia by the end of 2009. The company's Blue Archipelago Bhd has launched a plan to expand or develop the capacity of three shrimp aquaculture facilities, such as the previously underperforming Kerpan farm. They espouse a highly controlled production method. Geomembrane-lined aquaculture pits are used frequently in controlled developments and can help increase yields. Learn more here.;

Near San Diego, the nearly $50 million construction of another leg of border fencing between the United States and Mexico appears to be the culprit in some serious sediment runoff. Of note, locals point out, a valley area known as "Smuggler's Gulch" is being filled in with soil cut for the project. The 150-ft-high berm will support access roads and a stretch of fencing, but in the meantime is simply releasing soil into the water. Construction is not the only problem, though, as the site officials point out. The area is also plagued by sudden, heavy rains and illegal dumping in channels. Learn more here.;

We return to the story of Lake Delton, Wisconsin today, where water is about to begin refilling the lake. A June 2008 storm destroyed five homes and washed the lake down a channel and into the Wisconsin River. We reported on this village's flood response need in early August when Propex Inc. gifted the village $100,000 worth of erosion control products to help with some key projects. Propex's ArmorMax system was offered for use on steep slopes, having already proven itself in New Orleans' infrastructure repair. Congratulations are due to the residents of Lake Delton on getting their community back up and so quickly. Learn more here.;

The latest updates from ASTM International are available. This week's new standards and work items include three entries from the always-active Committee D18 on Soil and Rock. The lone standard revision deals with terminology, while the two work items pertain to abadoned mine sites. Visit the ASTM Update page for details.

Jessica Barran's piece at the University for Peace website is firmly against the mining of gold in Costa Rica's northern Crusitas mine, but it may be worth reading for understanding the ways in which communities where resources lay do not see their presence as welcomed. The environmental concerns are real and should be heard--but so should decent science and technology. The right containment materials, facility design, operations and environmental remediation plan can be done responsible. Just as a failure in one country can be cited, so too can a great many successfully managed sites. Learn more here.;

Decades of paper manufacturing and industrial processing along Wisconsin's Fox River has left a considerable amount of PCB contamination in the river soils. The long-term cleanup plan has used a great deal of geosynthetic dewatering and capping materials. (See the August/September 2006 issue's "Geotube Dewatering Containers Help in Cleanup of Fox River.") But the costs of the project have climbed. Planners now estimate $600 million is needed. This may limit the final activities. Learn more here.;

Waste to Resources Third International Symposium (MBT & MRF 2009) will be held 12-14 May 2009 in Hanover, Germany. This conference and exhibition on mechanical biological waste treatment (MBT/AWT) and recycling technology (sensor based sorting) will feature multilingual, simultaneous translation in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German. The deadline for abstract submission is 4 December 2008. Learn more here.;

As the Caribbean and the rest of the world are still grappling with the global food crisis, Guyana is seeking to sell its vast land and water resources to United States investors as an area suitable for agriculture and aquaculture investment. Read more in the Caribbean Net News. Learn more here.;

The Appalachian Center for Mountain Winegrowing at Appalachian State University has received a $9,500 grant from the North Carolina Wine and Grape Council. The Appalachian Center for Mountain Winegrowing staff will evaluate two methods of under-row soil erosion control: cover crops and erosion control blankets. Results from the study will be shared with growers to help them select erosion control strategies for their sites. Learn more here.;

Plastics Information Direct (PID)--part of Applied Market Information (AMI)--is having a book sale. The company hopes to make greater room on its shelves for 2009's new editions. This means it is getting rid of some special texts that will not be replaced. Visit the bookstore online. Learn more here.;

The growing trend of converting industrial land to residential and recreational use has helped bring about more stringent environmental monitoring and cleanup strategies. In Australia's New South Wales (NSW) province, the next phase of regulation has been introduced in the Contaminated Land Management Bill 2008 (NSW). This amendment affects the original acts of 1997 and 2007 and expands the amount of reporting that must be done during and after industrial site use so that remediation strategies can be better planned and site safety better evaluated. Learn more here.;

On 18 September 2008, engineers completed the new St. Anthony Falls Bridge. Its 2007-collapse underscored the need for major revision to the United States Infrastructure. The new I-35W bridge measures 10 lanes, promises a 100-year lifespan, and uses high-strength geotextiles in the project. A modern design and the most modern materials are correcting the design errors of the past. The overall bridge rebuild occurred in a stunningly concise 339 days. Read the release from TenCate the role geosynthetics are playing.

The UPC’s Institute of Textile Research and Industrial Cooperation of Terrassa (INTEXTER) leads the European research project MODSIMTEX (Textile Modeling and Simulation). The project will create new technology that can save textile manufacturers metric tons of raw material, time and energy. A consortium of twelve leading European companies and research laboratories will design an intelligent system that can reduce by 75% the time and the raw materials needed to set up the machinery in assembly lines for high value added products. The new system will be ready in just over three years. Read more at Innovations Report. Learn more here.;

CETCO Oilfield Services’ director of business development, Will Fortenberry, is moving from Aberdeen to Kuala Lumpur to support the company’s unprecedented growth in Asia. Earlier this year, Aberdeen-based CETCO Oilfield Services announced it had opened two operational bases in Kemaman and Labuan in Malaysia, and expanded its existing facilities in Kuala Lumpur. Learn more here.;

WEFTEC '08--"The Water Quality Event"--took place 18-22 October 2008 in Chicago. The event has announced that this year's gathering drew a record 21,950 attendees and 1,111 exhibitors. The technical program featured 115 technical sessions, 31 interactive workshops, 10 facility tours, and several other special events. WEFTEC 09 (Orlando, October 2009) is now accepting abstracts. Learn more here.;

The Montana Stockgrowers Association’s 124th Annual Trade Show and Convention, to be held Dec. 11-13 at the Billings Holiday Inn Grand Montana, will feature four unique Pfizer-sponsored “Cattlemen’s Colleges.” One key session will involve a Montana Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative panel discussion on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Panelists will include representatives from Natural Resources Conservation Service, Montana State Department of Environmental Quality, Montana State University Extension, a livestock producer and will be moderated by Gene Surber. Learn more here.;

While the term "best management practice" (or, BMP) may be misleading, especially since agencies from town to town may disagree on which BMPs are acceptable--that is, which are actually "best"--erosion control is clearly of need. You can see this on a very large scale around Las Vegas. The Review Journal looks back at 10 years of major erosion control and bank stabilization projects and how sediment loads have been reduced by 75%, 38,000 native plants have returned, more than 100 species have returned, and much more. Learn more here.;

Raven Industries released strong third quarter results on Wednesday. The Flow Controls Division continues to perform well while the Engineered Films Division (which includes Raven's geomembrane lines) saw 23 percent growth in third quarter sales. Raw material costs (including the often volatile resin market) pinched some profit, but overall volume was good and high demand in the oil and gas industry for pit and pond liners continued to be one of the company's signature successes. Learn more here.;

The Journal of Environmental Quality's (JEQ) most recent issue includes "Can Urban Tree Roots Improve Infiltration through Compacted Subsoils for Stormwater Management?" The researchers who produced the article examined the effects of root penetrations on water infiltration and examined water detention system using special soil arrangements and geotextile separation fabrics. “Manipulating root penetration through these separation geotextiles could potentially play a large role in bioretention system function and design," says the project lead, Susan Day of Virginia Tech. Learn more here.;