Containment

The Biotic Earth blog has posted a nice update from a critical erosion control project performed at the Milner Ridge wastewater facility in Manitoba, Canada. The work was part of stabilizing the soils around the wastewater ponds, the slopes for which were in jeopardy of failure from erosion. A combination of erosion control blankets and biotic-enriched hydromulch was used. One year later, the site is showing tremendous signs of success; as is this combination approach to erosion control in cold climates. Learn more here.;

During the recent ASTM International Committee Week meetings in Indianapolis (12-14 June 2013), George Koerner, Ph.D., P.E., CQA of the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) was honored with the "Award of...

Operators of the RMU-1 hazardous waste landfill near Niagra Falls, New York have abandoned their request for a height expansion on the current cell in favor of having a geosynthetic lining system approved for a future RMU-2 cell. The use of geosynthetics over a simple (and rather thick) clay-only liner would save considerable space, thus adding the volume the old design did not possess. Learn more here.;

The field of geosynthetics has often been defined by how these materials improve the performance and economics of a particular site or application. One of the ways that geosynthetics...

The Sunshine Coast Council in Australia is continuing a number of beach renourishment and erosion control projects using geotextiles, such as for groyne construction and artificial reefs. Projects at Noose, Maroochy River, Mooloolaba Beach Spit, and Golden Beach are all in the works. Learn more here.;

The deadline for submission of abstracts to Geosynthetics Mining Solutions 2014 has been extended to March 17. Organized by Infomine, and in partnership with SLR Consulting, the event will be...

Three more cells are being planned for waste disposal in Tulare County, California near the city of Visalia. This is the second phase of a project, and one that will establish nearly 60 years of capacity. Bids are currently being reviewed. Learn more here.;

If you are interested in presenting at EC12, you only have until Friday, 27 May 2011 to submit your 400-word abstract. Details on how to submit along with recommended topics may be found on IECA's website. EC12 will be held 26-29 February 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On the first full day of technical sessions at EuroGeo 5, Daniele Cazzuffi (CESI SpA, Italy), José María González (TRAGSATEC; ATEBA, Spain), and Ian Peggs (I-CORP INTERNATIONAL, Inc., USA) will chair a major session on Hydraulic Structures. This is also the IV International Symposium on Water Reservoirs.

On June 7, HUESKER will offer a free canal liner webinar focused on the company's unique Canal3® barrier. The session, led by veteran engineering Roy McClinton, will focus on...

The new federal strategy for the Chesapeake region released today focuses on protecting and restoring the environment in communities throughout the 64,000-square-mile watershed and in its thousands of streams, creeks and rivers. The strategy includes using rigorous regulations to restore clean water, implementing new conservation practices on 4 million acres of farms, conserving 2 million acres of undeveloped land and rebuilding oysters in 20 tributaries of the bay. To increase accountability, federal agencies will establish milestones every two years for actions to make progress toward measurable environmental goals. These will support and complement the states' two-year milestones.

Maccaferri offers a host of learning opportunities through educational engineering events in multiple locations. The company also supports a number of conferences and events. Whether you're looking for geotextile, gabion, or rockfall netting information; whether you're designing for shoreline stabilization, mining haul roads, or general geotechnical engineering, Maccaferri gives you many opportunities to connect face to face. See Maccaferri next at the following events (Continued)

Terrapinn's Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Mining Congress 2011 conference has released its official program. Considerable focus seems to be on operations/regulations in specific countries, supported by success stories from major international companies. View the program online. The event will be held 24-27 October 2011 in Dubai, UAE. Learn more here.;

Half of the cost of raising catfish rests in feeding them, and with the market pricing catfish so low many aquaculturists who had relied upon catfish have transformed their operations to row crops or larger animals (feed for which is actually cheaper). But the United States Department of Agriculture (USdA) has announced a large-scale catfish purchase for school lunch programs, and it's hoped that this will help stabilize if not lift prices and make this piece of the aquaculture industry more viable. Learn more here.;

Is this a first? Cracks along the peaks of wrinkles are not that unusual, but has anyone ever seen transverse cracks across a wrinkle, perpendicular to the length of the wrinkle? Several of these transverse cracks occurred in straight sections of the wrinkle but none occurred at the more highly stressed kinks.

TenCate Geosynthetics (Booth 607) will release new products, design software and details of their new paving warranty during Geo-Frontiers 2011. To learn more, visit one of their many mini-sessions, to be held in the TenCate exhibit hall booth on March 15 and 16. The schedule includes GeoDetect® (Tues. 1:00-1:30 pm, Wed. 10:00-10:30 am), RSi Intro (Tues. 2:00-2:30 pm, Wed. 11:00-11:30 am), MiraSpec (Tues. 3:00-3:30 pm, Wed. 12:00-12:30pm), and Warranty (Tues. 4:00-4:30pm, Wed. 1:00-1:30 pm). Learn more here.;

Vietnam and Ukraine have made an aquaculture co-operation agreement to foment co-operation on fisheries and aquaculture. The agreement’s key initiatives include information exchange and technology transfer. It also involves sharing aquaculture training. The two sides said they hoped co-operation between Vietnamese and Ukrainian enterprises would strengthen and develop in the future. Learn more here.;

An interview with Dr. Fady Abdelaal, GeoEngineering Centre at Queen’s-RMC, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, by Chris Kelsey The first conference dedicated exclusively to geosynthetics in mining was held in Vancouver,...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plan to lift the recreational advisory for and reopen the Emory River on Saturday, 29 May 2010, at 7:00 a.m. The main river channel will be accessible to the public, but caution is advised. A no-wake zone has been established from Emory River mile 1.5 to mile 3 because large equipment remains in the area as TVA and EPA continue recovery of the Kingston ash spill.

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.;

In October 2015, a Concrete Canvas® GCCM  (Geosynthetic Cementitious Composite Mat) composite barrier was used to line a newly constructed drainage lagoon at Votorantim Metais Zinco mine in Vazante,...

Almost a decade after states along the Mississippi River pledged to reduce pollution that leads to the perennial "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, the federal government has announced the first program to specifically target and reduce agricultural runoff into the river. Read more. Learn more here.;

The cost of reducing pollution in the waters around Seattle will top $500 million over the next 15 years, local officials say. About 15 major construction projects will be needed to prevent storm water from entering the municipal system and to increase treatment-plant capacity, which officials say will be necessary to meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act. Learn more here.;

On 30 April 2012, ASTM International (ASTM) will host a free online forum to discuss the coordination of standards activity relative to commercial scale hydraulic fracturing. The forum is open to the public. Stakeholders at all levels of commercial hydraulic fracturing applications are encouraged to attend. Registration for the online session is available at www.astm.org/hydraulicfracturing.

Vancouver, British Columbia is suffering a garbage crunch: too much waste, not enough space. One plan calls for increasing the amount of waste dumped at Burns Bog--a compressed peat-lined landfill! To be sure, concerns are being raised over the lack of a modern lining system. Garbage may be exported to the US for burial while the city tries to find an acceptable location for a new landfill's construction. Learn more here.;