Containment

The Glendale Road landfill in Northampton, Massachusetts--last reported about on Geosynthetica in October 2009--is full. For months, operators and the city debating expanding it into a 50-acre area. But the site is located above an aquifer, and city officials have elected to have facility capped instead. A 2.5-acre portion of the expected 10 is to be tackled first. Learn more here.;

Qatar Petroleum (QP) on behalf of the Government of the State of Qatar has signed today a new Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA) with Shell and PetroChina Company Limited (PetroChina) for Qatar Block D. The agreement was signed in Doha by His Excellency Abdulla bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry, Peter Voser, Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell plc, and Mr. Zhao Dong, Chief Financial Officer of PetroChina International Investment Company Limited.

The PA Department of Environmental Protection announced today that Chief Oil and Gas LLC has paid $180,000 in civil penalties for a hydraulic oil spill and for failing to properly maintain a drill pit at a Marcellus Shale natural gas well in Jefferson Township, Somerset County. A June 10, 2010 site inspection by DEP found evidence of the discharge of hydraulic oil onto the ground. Operators are required to notify DEP of any spills of that nature because the oil is classified as a residual waste. Chief did not notify DEP of the spill and was not permitted to discharge residual waste at the site. Chief Oil and Gas has since successfully remediated the site.

The geosynthetics industry has learned that Samir T. Badawi has died while traveling in Germany. Badawi has served as chairman of Houston-based Gundle/SLT Environmental Inc.'s (GSE) Board of Directors since 1995 and as company CEO since 1998. In that time, the company expanded steadily, building upon what was already a highly respected name in geosynthetic manufacturing. Badawi's considerable global business experience proved to be a good fit for GSE, which has operations around the world. Not only did he oversee GSE's important merger with SLT/ Environmental, but its acquisition by a private equity firm (Code, Hennessy & Simmons). Read more.

Changing infrastructure changes soils, and our responses to the geotechnical challenges of our soils—the solutions we choose—determine the sustainability and long-term economics and successful performance of our infrastructure. This...

Vancouver, British Columbia - Burke Industries based out of San Jose, California is pleased to announce that it will be working with Layfield Environmental Systems, based out of Vancouver, Canada...

Nonwovens Industry's 37th Annual Guide lists suppliers and producers of nonwovens around the globe in one comprehensive listing. Learn more here.;

The Canadian Geotechnical Society’s annual conference is always a highlight on the international geotechnical calendar. This year, however, the organizers in Calgary had to cancel the plan for an in-person...

Liner designers and regulators should note that it is NOT possible to perform a geoelectric integrity or leak location survey on a double geomembrane lining system when there is only a geocomposite in the leakage detection system (LDS) between the two geomembranes unless the LDS is backfilled with water. This can be costly, time-consuming, and even damaging to the liner if it is uplifted. Additional ballast on the liner may be required. And side slope liners cannot be tested. Plan ahead and use conductive geomembrane, or place a conductive geotextile or a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) directly under the primary geomembrane.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making nearly $2 million available in 2010 to reduce pollution at the local level through the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program. EPA will award CARE cooperative agreements at two levels. Level I awards range from $75,000 to $100,000 and will help establish community-based partnerships to assess toxics problems in their community and consider options for reducing environmental risks.

The technical committee of the 6th European Conference on Geosynthetics (EuroGeo 6) remind readers that the window for submission of abstracts will close 30 October 2015. Please remind your...

The September/October 2012 issue of Land and Water magazine is available. View the digital version online. This issue's stories include: Stormwater volume reduction retrofits; Improving vegetation establishment in surface mine reclamation; The Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion; Construction site BMPs; and more. Learn more here.;

British Columbia's Tsolum River has been plagued by poor water quality for decades, in part due to the old copper mining activity. The site is now improving. In 2003, a wetland was added to the flow from the old mine site on Mount Washington. In 2009, a geomembrane seal was installed to cover the entire volatile site and again, immediate water quality improvement was observed. In 2010, soil and till were added. The site has shown steady improvement throughout this process. Learn more here.;

Geosynthetics are polymer-based synthetic materials, which are used with rock, earth, soil, or other materials associated with geotechnical engineering, for facilitating cost efficient projects in transportation, building, construction and environmental sectors. Increased spending on construction and infrastructure development activities is expected to boost global demand for geosynthetics. Transportation sector offers growth opportunities due to the ability of geosynthetic products in enhancing durability of roads, improving drainage facilities, and facilitate construction of erosion-preventing structures. All these are achieved at a lower cost as compared to traditional products. Landfill market represents another key focus area for geosynthetics (geomembranes), owing to their increased usage in sealing waste containment areas and leachate pits. Learn more.

The movement for greater open sharing of engineering technical information, particularly in geosynthetics, continues to grow. One of the champions has been the Australasian Chapter of the International Geosynthetics...

The dream of zero-leak liners has become a reality. While many geosynthetic containment systems have been installed and produced a zero-leak final product, this type of performance is not...

The Board of Directors of Sika AG has elected Paul Hälg to succeed current Chairman Walter Grüebler. Paul Hälg will assume office following the next Annual General Meeting on April 17, 2012. Jan Jenisch has been appointed new CEO of Sika AG. Jan Jenisch, who is to take up his new position on January 1, 2012, will be replacing Ernst Bärtschi.

The Business Co-ordination House (BCH) of India and India-Tech Foundation will hold a one-day symposium, "Geotextiles in India: What, Where and Why," on 17 October 2008. The event will be held in conjunction with CONSTRU India 2008. Read more from BCH on the symposium.

Last month, the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) and National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) convened the 1st GSI-Asia Geosynthetics Conference. The conference was held in Taichung, Taiwan with the theme "Geosynthetics in Infrastructure." Primary topics included Mechanical Stabilized Earth Structures, Coastal and Hydraulic Engineering, Erosion Control and Sustainable Engineering, and Transportation and Pavement Engineering. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced a new standard, D7703: "Standard Practice for Electrical Leak Location on Exposed Geomembranes Using the Water Lance System." Electrical leak location methods are an effective and proven quality assurance measure to locate previously undetected leaks and check the integrity of a liner. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced a work item, WK29211, "Standard Test Method for Measuring the Nominal Thickness of Geosynthetics." It is a work item revision to existing standard D5199-01(2006). The posted rationale behind the work item is "to bring the Terminlogy Section in line with the Form amd Style Manual." Learn more here.;

Solmax, an international manufacturer of geomembranes and affiliated containment solutions, has posted a new position for which it is currently accepting resumes: technical coordinator. Send resumes to RHCanada@solmax.com. A description...

Colorado Lining International, Inc. (CLI) is giving its well-established floating cover system a new brand: Hydro-Cap™. The system has been used in a broad range of environmental conditions...

Maryland's Chesapeake Bay is undergoing an extensive restoration, but lawmakers are sitting on $50 million and haggling about how to use it. They would like to find census on how to spend it, what erosion control methods would work best, and how they can more fully track nitrogen and phosphorus reductions of runoff. Learn more here.;

Tests have confirmed a deadly link between a toxic Black Country lake in the United Kingdom and the deaths of hundreds of animals over the last decade. In October 2009, underwater mapping helped identify the source of pollution--white phosporous stemming from old industrial activity. By December, a heavy-duty geotextile barrier was installed over part of the lagoon. A three-month study period is underway. Learn more here.;