Aging of HDPE Geomembranes
Forthcoming from ASCE's Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering is "Aging of HDPE Geomembrane in Three Composite Landfill Liner Configurations." The article, authored by Professor R. Kerry Rowe and S. Rimal (a Ph.D. student) will be published in the July 2008 issue. Electronic access/purchase is available now.
Learn more here.;
Transformation of Hampole
Hampole Quarry near Doncaster, United Kingdom, was once one of the country's largest tire dumps. After a £1.8m remedation project, more than one-third of the tires have been removed and what remains has been leveled and capped with geosynthetics, shale and wild flowers. The Yorkshire Post reports.
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Mountain Home Landfill Problem
Last month, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) denied a landfill in Mountain Home a request to "piggyback" new waste capacity atop the current, overflowing site. But the facility is ready to make a new cell construction proposal to alleviate the site's problems.
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Reminder: Geosynthetics 2009
Geosynthetics 2009 will be held 25-27 February 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The deadline for submission of abstracts and proposals is June 30. The conference theme is "Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering." See the abstract submission page for more information.
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Lake County Doubles Up
When Lake County, Florida experienced a surge in leachate at its landfill in 2003, an area wastewater storage facility accepted it. Now that company has closed and the site has become a Superfund site. The former company's neglect means that its clients must pay for cleanup. Lake County will contribute $125,000 (of $1 million+ needed) to cleanup the 37-tank farm. That's exactly what the county paid to dispose of the leachate originally.
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Lagoon Construction
Wastewater lagoon lining is becoming more common on large farming operations. Twin City Foods' farm in Ellensburg, Washington is seeking to construct a 40-million-gallon lined wastewater lagoon to process soil-laden water rather than reapply it to fields (the current practice). Numerous permits must be applied for now. The company has to 2012 to execute the proposed project.
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End of the Cold War
Over at the Aiken Standard, writer Mike Gellatly reports on the closure of the General Separations Area Consolidated Unit (GSACU) in the Savannah River Site, a 310 sq. m. section of land owned by the US Department of Energy. The site managed radioactive materials for government, industry and other endeavors during the Cold War Era. It was added to the National Priorities List in 1989 and has now been successfully capped with geosynthetics.
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On the Horizon: Cass Lake
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered more permanent solutions be found for the rememdiation of the Cass Lake Superfund site near Bemidji, Minnesota. Temporary solutions, such as contaminated soil removal, have been performed; but long-term corrections are needed. A feasibility study is planned to be released next year.
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Powerful Insight
Ireland-based FLI Environmental is known in the geosynthetics field for its supply and installation expertise. But the firm is also active in alternative energy development. FLI formed 3NRG to further this field with a particular emphasis on waste to energy projects. Read an article on how a former landfill in the United Kingdom is being transformed into a power source with FLI's insight.
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Early Bird Registration
Reminder: the deadline for the early bird registration rate for Venice 2008--the Second International Symposium on Energy from Biomass and Waste--is June 20. Online registration is available. The event will take place in Venice, Italy from 17 - 20 November 2008.
Learn more here.;
Republic and Allied Merger
Two of the largest waste management firms in the United States, Republic Services and Allied Waste Management, are in merger talks, Thomson Financial reports. The potential deal might see Republic purchasing Allied but using Allied's name for all operations and using a Phoenix headquarters. The $7 billion deal has sent both stocks lower on the news.
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GeoAfrica 2009 in the News
Word is starting to get out about GeoAfrica 2009. The event will be held in Cape Town, South Africa 2-4 September 2009. This will be the first conference to be held under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) in the region. The first call has been issued. Updates are forthcoming. Keep an eye on geosynthetica.net and the IGS' South African chapter website for more.
Learn more here.;
Project: Asbestos Cover
The new school in El Dorado Hills, California is being built atop a site with naturally occurring asbestos. Crews are now digging up the contaminated soil and shipping to an off-site location. Disturbed soil on-site will be covered with a protective geotextile layer.
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Project: Sewer Plant
Roughly 180,000 cubic yards of dirt will be moved to a 32-acre site near Memphis, Tennessee ahead of the construction of a new sewage plant. It's part of a $2.6 million site-preparation package. The dirt adds elevation to the site, and extra dirt with simulate future structure weights. Geosynthetic separation and lining materials will be placed as well at future lagoon locations.
Learn more here.;
Dow Buying Stevens
Dow Building Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, announced June 11 that it has signed an agreement to acquire Stevens® Roofing Systems and Geomembrane Systems, a business of JPS Industries, Inc. Stevens is based in Holyoke, Massachusetts. For more information on Dow's acquisition, see the official release.
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Chrin's Expansion Plans
The Chrin Landfill near Allentown, Pennsylvania is considering expansion right now, though it lacks approval to capitalize on 22 acres of space on its property. Some minor expansion is possible within the current permit, but the facility will most likely seek a new agreement to create new cells (rather than simply convert access roads to fill space).
Learn more here.;
New EPA Brownfields Grants
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released $6.3 million more for brownfields cleanup projects across 14 states. Read the release for details on the signing of the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act.
TenCate in China
TenCate Geosynthetics is to open a plant in China this week. On Friday, June 13, parent company Royal TenCate, which is based in the Netherlands, will officially open the plant in Zhuhai. The plant's production will concentrate on markets in India and China and employ about 150 people.
Learn more here.;
Geotextile Tubes Needed
The Lake Improvement Association (LIA) of the Grand Lake St. Marys area in Ohio is raising money through local activities and through a Farm Bill grant. The association is seeking to raise more than $1 million, a portion of which will be directed toward acquiring geotextile tubes. The grant funding is coming from the state of Ohio and the National Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
Learn more here.;
GSE Expands Sales Team
GSE has announced the appointments of four new members to its key sales team: Dale Geary, Larry Lydick, Richard Mason, and Edgar Rodriguez. All four bring a couple decades of experience in geosynthetics and affiliated sectors, such as mining. The release from GSE offers a bio of each person and identifies their regional territories.
Low Interest Loans for Ag
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Division of Soil Conservation (IDALS-DSC) is to merge and operate two low-interest loan programs, one for livestock operations and one for soil and water conservation. The funding is being increased to $18 million and may be used for farm improvements such as animal waste lagoon construction.
Learn more here.;
Landfill Cleanup and Closure Awarded
The Jamestown Landfill in Tuolumne County, California, began failing in 2006. Over a fairly brief period, three slopes failed. The cleanup project has now been awarded to Sukut Construction. Their roughly $6 million project will commence soon. In their winning bid, they submitted two plans to accommodate different soil conditions they may encounter in cleaning up the site.
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Freedonia Report Available
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.;
Lagoon Conservation Program
A trio of hog operations have been awarded funding from North Carolina's Lagoon Conversion Program. The program, which was established in 2007, offers up to $500,000 for innovation in manure lagoon management. The three winning companies from this initial phase are all based in Sampson County. No details have yet been reported regarding the type of systems they've proposed.
Learn more here.;
Peggs to Speak in Australia
Monash University in Melbourne and the Australasian Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (ACIGS) will welcome Dr. Ian Peggs to speak at a geotechnical meeting on 11 June 2008. The talk is titled "Liner performance: influence of testing or the lack of testing." Registration is free. For more information, contact Dr. Malek Bouazza or download the information document.
