Containment

In the February/March 2011 issue of Film and Sheet Extrusion, Dr. Sally Humphreys writes on various aspects of the waterproofing membranes, including the utilization of EVOH in the production of geomembranes for controlling volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Kuraray's EVAL unit has become a world leader in this technology. Geomembrane applications that may benefit greatly from these developments include heap leach mining, oil sands tailings, concrete liners and biodigesters, and more. Read more about this and other market segments in Dr. Humphrey's article.

Penton Media's 2010 Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) has announced their initial sponsor lineup for 2010. The biennial event serves as an international forum for the presentation of both applied and fundamental research and case studies on waste management and will take place at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas, a new facility that just opened its doors this year.

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) has opened registration for its annual conference and expo, Environmental Connection 2010 (EC10). Interested parties can visit IECA's website for details on full-day courses, field tours, special events and the exhibit hall. The complete listing of shorter technical sessions will be available later this fall.

geosynthetica is proud to announce that it has cleared the application process to begin supplying original content to Google News. This platform will help extend the reach of geosynthetic engineering information to users, potential users, journalists, and many others. For information on how your work could be part of a story, contact Chris Kelsey.

Federal environmental officials say they believe the amount of contaminated sediment that will need to be dredged from the Hudson River will be "significantly higher" than initially expected. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has released a preliminary evaluation of last year's dredging of PCB "hot spots" north of Albany. The dredging was a test run for the far larger Phase 2 of the cleanup, which regulators want to start in 2011. Learn more here.;

To accommodate our continuously expanding operations in Vaughan servicing Ontario and Eastern Canada, Layfield is pleased to announce the opening of its new fabrication and warehousing facility, opened in June 2010. The new facility will offer many benefits, including increased warehousing capacity; easy access to major shipping corridors; new capability to provide quick turnaround fabricated liners with seams up to 250 ft in length; more than 36,000 sq ft of space to stock multiple geosynthetics and other products. Phone contact information remains the same.

Renowned researcher and educator, Dr. R. Kerry Rowe, P.Eng., has been announced as the featured presented during a multi-city seminar tour of Australia. The topic, “Multi-component Geosynthetic Clay Liners,”...

Geosynthetics magazine, published by the Industrial Fabrics Association International, has launched a new website. The revamped design includes a cleaner presentation and more interactive content, such as a blog from editor Ron Bygness. Learn more here.;

The American Institute of Architects has approved Raven Industries Engineered Films Division as a course provider for the AIA Continuing Education System, the primary source of ongoing professional education for the design and building industry. This approval was effective 1 November 2010, and Raven has prepared their initial course for implementation. AIA members are required to complete 18 hours, also called Learning Units (LU), of continuing education annually. Eight hours must relate to Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) topics, with four being material on Sustainable Design (SD). Initially Raven Industries is delivering a one-hour AIA/CES course, which provides one LU of HSW content. Read more.

Since IAGI's founding in 1996 the association has established and operated programs that have recognized outstanding achievements in installation. During the Geo-Frontiers 2011 conference, the International Association of Geosynthetic Installers (IAGI) announced the winners of IAGI's first Installation Awards of Excellence competition. Three awards were given: Extreme Project Award, Innovative Project Award and the Award of Excellence. Brian McKeown, IAGI President, presented the awards during a ceremony honoring the winners.

Pipe Week returns with two 1.5-day short courses to be held at TRI Environmental's Austin, Texas campus. Both corrugated (October 6 - 7) and solid-wall plastic pipe (October 8...

The U.S. EPA has identified the hardrock mining industry as its priority for developing financial assurance requirements. Financial assurance requirements help ensure that owners and operators of these facilities, not taxpayers, foot the bill for environmental cleanup. These requirements will be developed under section 108(b) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly called "Superfund." EPA plans to propose the rule by spring of 2011. The agency will publish a notice of this priority in the Federal Register, which is the first step toward developing the requirements.

On Tuesday, 3 November, our engineer colleagues and friends Gaye Sprague and John Paulson were elected to their city councils. At a time when so much of American government is debating infrastructure, it seems especially relevant and important to have civil engineers serve in office. Read about them here.

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) is accepting abstracts for its annual conference through May 15. EC10 will be held in Dallas, Texas 14-17 February 2009. IECA organizes its work into 8 technology sections: slopes, stream restoration, vegetative establishment, stormwater management, wetlands, erosion and sediment control, beach and shoreline stabilization, and wind erosion. The "Hot Topics" for 2010 are LEED for new construction, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process. Learn more here.;

Raven's geosynthetics experts regularly publish Geo Team Updates. The September 2010 issue outlines Geo Team contacts, the new website, and a summation of the year's developments. This includes a glimpse at what is forthcoming from Raven, such as an upgrade to the scrim reinforcement on the company's already-successful 36-mil and 45-mil Heavy Duty J-Series Reinforced LLDPE materials. Learn more here.;

Advances in energy conversion, architecture, geotextile design and sensor technologies are leading material design Rachael Wingfield into urban gardening. Her "Metabolic Media" is an attempt to synthesize what has been discovered in other fields and material classes to create technologies that will enable more urban farming. Learn more here.;

Andrew Aho, executive director of the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA), reports that John Henderson of Tencate Geosynthetics has been re-elected as Chairman the GMA Executive Council. This will be John's second term. "We appreciate John’s service and look forward to his continued leadership as Chairman," Aho says. In the past couple years, GMA has made great strides in communication with US Congressional legislators and infrastructure committees.

FEBRUARY 2014 - The new 1 billion ruble state-of-the-art facility reinforces Tensar’s market-leading position in soil-reinforcement and subgrade stabilization technologies. The Princess Royal was welcomed by a delegation including...

Infiltrator Systems, Inc. (ISI) has announced that it has agreed to acquire the assets of the septic chamber business of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) and its subsidiaries. As part of the acquisition, ADS has entered into a long-term, non-exclusive distribution agreement with Infiltrator Systems and will continue to market and sell the Arc(TM) and BioDiffuser(TM) product lines.

ATLANTA – August 5, 2013 – Tensar North American Green, the world's leading provider of comprehensive erosion and sediment control solutions, is launching the VMax® W3000™ high performance turf...

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics is reaching a major milestone. During the January Committee Week gathering in Houston, Texas, the Committee will mark its 30th anniversary with a...

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.

Apple Valley (Minnesota) will build the new Whitney pond this summer on land owned by Burnsville in Lac Lavon Park. The pond, expected to be completed by November, also will have a walking trail around it. The 2-acre pond will have a liner to prevent contaminated water from seeping into the surrounding lakes. 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.

ASTM International, together with the Bombay Textile Research Association (BTRA), will conduct a one-day workshop on geotextiles on 22 January 2013, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at BTRA's facilities in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. This free technical workshop will feature two speakers: Sam Allen, vice-president of TRI/Environmental Inc. and a longtime member of ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics; and V.K. Patil, senior scientific officer in charge of the geotextile lab at BTRA. Learn more.