Containment

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that in Georgia banks are facing stiff environmental fines for housing developments that have been foreclosed on. The problem stems from foreclosures that occurred mid-construction. As banks reclaimed land, the dirt piles left on site become serious runoff risks. The fines are coming back on the banks. (NOTE: Subscription required for access to the full article but a partial article has been posted freely.) Learn more here.;

Last year, Charlotte, North Carolina-based HUESKER hosted a high-level, invitation-only geosynthetics technical networking event called GeoPASS. The inaugural series delivered top-tier lectures and perspectives on diverse topics such as...

The shoreline in Port Elizabeth, South Africa was damaged in a September storm of breakers, but local authorities insist the damage will be repair--and the shoreline greatly improved--by December. A geotextile-based erosion control plan is being put in place. Learn more here.;

The Brazilian Geotechnical Society (ABMS) has honored Prof. Ennio Palmeira with the Terzaghi Award. Palmeira is Professor of Civil Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at...

With more than 600 coal ash ponds in the United States, and with new rules potentially coming into effect to require liners for these facilities, every state is having to re-evaluate its handling of coal ash waste. In South Carolina, the Washington Post reports that 20 power company sites face closure and a need to reline their waste cells, if and when the new rules are enacted. Learn more here.;

CETCO announces that Richard B. Erickson has been appointed the position of Technical Sales Manager for CETCO - Lining Technologies Group. Richard is located in California and will be responsible for the West Coast regional sales, reporting to Timothy J. Rafter, National Sales Manager. Effective 4 January 2010, Richard can be reached at richard.erickson@cetco.com.

CETCO Lining Technologies has announced the official release of three new product lines in its GCL portfolio. The names of the new product lines are InterLoK, Resistex and Continuum. Each product features a unique engineered clay technology designed by the research and development team at CETCO to enhance the permeability and/or chemical resistance. InterLoK, Resistex, and Continuum GCLs are now available in the U.S. with an expected release in Europe later this year.

As the second week of the oil spill cleanup begins, EPA staff are optimistic about receding water levels in the Yellowstone River, which will allow access to previously inaccessible portions of the river. This news comes as data becomes available from testing and monitoring conducted last week. A map for both water and air monitoring data is now available at http://www.epa.gov/yellowstoneriverspill. The validated data confirms preliminary information indicating the water is safe and shows no elevated levels above instrument detection for volatile organic compounds.

A comprehensive heap leach design short course has been announced as part of the opportunities at Heap Leach Solutions 2014. Led by an international team (Renzo Ayala, Jonathan Bray,...

Byron Bay lies along Australia's Gold Coast. Storms have caused considerable erosion problems. One homeowner, John Vaughan, is going to court over injunctions against hard armor solutions. Softer solutions, such as geotextile tubes, are preferred. Vaughan has lost thousands of cubic meters of land to erosion. In the meantime, he's pushing to at least be allowed to make repairs to geotextile bags that are defending his land. Even that work seems tenuous given the area's "retreat" policy in regards to erosion. Learn more here.;

Tetra Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEK) announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Parkland Pipeline (Parkland), an Alberta-based company that serves the oil and gas industry in Western Canada. The company specializes in the technical support, engineering support, and construction of pipelines and oilfield facilities. Parkland has about 900 staff and approximately C$140 million in annual revenue. "Like other previous acquisitions, Parkland enables Tetra Tech to provide additional core water, environmental and engineering work to the pipeline industry while better serving these customers," said Tetra Tech's Chairman and CEO Dan Batrack.

As part of GTI’s global expansion, Geomembrane Technologies Inc. (GTI) is pleased to welcome Raul Reiff Janini as its newest project engineer. Raul will be based out of Sao Paulo,...

The city of Astoria, New York has opted to install a geomembrane liner and cover system on its reservoir as part of a long-range water conservation endeavor. Though the city is smaller than most that choose this route, officials are confident that the immediate and long-term conservation benefits will off-set the up-front cost. Learn more here.;

Ronald Mark Associates, Inc., is proud to announce the creation of a new business unit, Engineered Polymer Technologies, Inc. Ronald Mark Associates was founded in 1974 and is a manufacturer of polymers, compounds, unsupported films, reinforced substrates, specialty coatings and is a recycler of various plastics. Read more.

A new online tool is now available to help Australian farmers retain the huge quantities of stored surface water they annually lose to evaporation and seepage. Called the Ready Reckoner, the free, web-based program calculates the cost of using liners or dam covers against the cost of losing water. It was developed in a partnership between the Co-operative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures (CRC IF), National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture (NCEA), National Program for Sustainable Irrigation, FSA Consulting and the Queensland Government. Learn more here.;

Geosynthetica supports its underwriters and the geosynthetics field on many fronts: in magazine articles, in daily news on its site and as an approved provider to Google News, through webinars, with market research, and in many other ways. One of the important ways we deliver geosynthetics information around the world is through support of conferences, particularly of those that are not exclusive to geosynthetics or which have not yet realized their full market or regional potential in their utilization or understanding of geosynthetic technologies. In 2010, some of the events for which Geosynthetica.net is serving as a cooperating organization / media sponsor include: ** EC10 in Dallas, Texas, USA -- 16-20 February 2010; ** 7th Cooperation for Waste Issues in Kharkiv, Ukraine -- 7-8 April 2010; ** Polymers in Photovoltaics 2010 in Cologne, Germany -- 20-22 April 2010; ** LatAm Mining Congress 2010 in Coral Gables, Florida, USA -- 27-29 April 2010; ** Global Waste Management Symposium 2010 in San Antonio, Texas, USA -- 3-6 October 2010. **** To learn more about how you can be part of these events and others with Geosynthetica.net, or how Geosynthetica can work with you to expand your reach, contact Elizabeth Peggs at elizabeth@geosynthetica.net.

With the expected economic recovery in 2010, do Québec entrepreneurs really believe that the effects of the economic crisis are behind them? What real issues have they faced in the past 12 months? What is their outlook for 2010? The next Confidence Index - Solidarity Fund QFL will shed some light on these questions. The questions and more will be discussed on December 4 in Québec. Among the speakers will be Groupe Solmax's Jacques Côté.

The Minnesota Erosion Control Association (MECA) is planning its 2010 Annual Erosion Control and Stormwater Management Conference and Trade Show. The event will be held 11-12 March 2010 in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Organizers seek presentations of two types: local projects completed for stormwater management or erosion and sediment control; new innovative products for stormwater management or erosion and sediment control. Abstracts and titles are due by 31 July 2009 to meca@mnerosion.org.

One of the biggest geotechnical events in the Americas this year has announced a gracious deadline expansion for the early registration rate. The PanAmerican Conference on Soil Mechanics and...

A final look at the bienniel Geosynthetics conference, which convened in Salt Lake City, Utah 25-27 February 2009. Geosynthetics 2009 operated under the theme “Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering,” two subjects key to Western states like Utah. But those certainly weren't the only subjects discussed in the sessions, keynote lectures, and on the exhibit hall floor. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then you've some "reading" to do in our photo essay from Geosynthetics 2009.

E&A Ltd have announced that its subsidiary Fabtech SA Pty Ltd has formed a strategic alliance with Layfield Geosynthetics & Industrial Fabrics Ltd. The production and distribution agreement focuses on geosynthetic lining solutinos for applications such as water conservation, floating covers, and storage dams. From Business Spectator. Learn more here.;

ORRTANNA, Pa. — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that applications are now being accepted for new, landmark conservation initiatives created by the 2014 Farm Bill. The programs will provide up to...

Raven Industries Engineered Films Division announces Dura-Skrim® Textured K-Series; a new geomembrane product line specifically engineered for the geosynthetic industry. Dura-Skrim Textured K-Series is a unique textured reinforced geomembrane available in polyethylene or flexible polypropylene and is the first of this type in the industry. Dura-Skrim Textured K-Series is manufactured utilizing a cast extrusion process to achieve a consistent core thickness with uniform asperity heights. Raven's exclusive GeoGrip™ surface technology consists of a durable random spike pattern with bidirectional bars to provide uniform stabilization and an increased friction between various soil and geosynthetic layers allowing for steeper slope designs. Dura-Skrim Textured K-Series is designed for applications requiring exceptional slope stability such as landfill caps, mining leach pads and containment ponds to name a few.

For 15+ years, engineers have come to Austin, Texas in April to attend geosynthetics CQA training courses hosted by TRI Environmental. This year, some are wondering where this well-respected...

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.;