Containment

One from the archives: ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics' March 2013 announcement of a direct shear-related revised test for geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) has us recalling Geosynthetica's May 2011...

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced the approval of a new standard: D7852 - Standard Practice for Use of an Electrically Conductive Geotextile for Leak Location Surveys. Developed by Committee D35.10 (Subcommittee on Geomembranes), the scope aims for the standard to be "applicable to all types of geoelectric surveys when there is otherwise not a conductive layer under the geomembrane."

When CQA professionals gather in Austin, Texas during CQA Week (April 29 - May 3), those who take part in the liner integrity survey/assessment (LISA) training (April 29 - 30) will discover a number of interesting updates to this event. Now in its 9th year of training events, the TRI Environmental CQA Week LISA education will feature rebuilt test pads for the hands-on field training portion of the event. A larger soil-covered test pad is part of the redesign. Further, the event will feature the new 2000 series equipment, a double-dipole arrangement that produces multi-directional 3D voltage mapping. Separate cells for the water lance and water puddle will be included, and new equipment for the water dipole survey will be utilized. Equipment will be available for purchase or project-specific rental. In addition, TRI will be adding a trouble-shooting session in the class, including a bench-scale site to highlight conditions that impair survey sensitivity and give false positive signals. Learn more.

GeoAfrica 2013 will be held 18-20 November 2013 in Accra, Ghana (NY Times' #4 place to visit in 2013). This event will be the Second IGS Regional Conference on Geosynthetics in Africa. Attendees interested in transportation, mining, water and waste management are all certain to be on site for this event. Abstracts in English not exceeding 400 words should be submitted by email to Technical@GeoAfrica2013.com not later than 31 March 2013.

The newly constructed Arkun Dam hydropower facility on the Çoruh River (Turkey) would have been considerably more expensive if conventional concrete walls were used along the edges of the power station. NAUE Geosynthetics profiles the project and the reinforced earth option that was selected and which saved 40% on the cost for this portion of the project.

The 10th International Conference on Geosynthetics (10 ICG) will be held 21-24 September 2014 in Berlin, Germany. This quadrennial conference from the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) will be hosted by the IGS Germany chapter and co-located with the German Geotechnical Society 2014 conference. Abstracts are invited through 15 May 2013. Learn more and upload your abstract via the online submission system.

GeoNews is a regular publication of project stories, event updates, and geosynthetic materials information. It's the corporate newsletter of Australia-based Global Synthetics. The current issue looks at utilization of geotextile tubes to restore a freshwater lagoon, geogrid-gextile composite reinforcement for crane pads at Maroochydore, revitalizing Adelaide's railway network, Bentofix® GCL containment for a lake, and more. Read the latest issue here (PDF).

GSE Environmental has published a new brochure for its innovative Leak Location Liner. These HDPE and LLDPE geomembranes are manufactured with a co-extruded conductive layer, which allows for quick and thorough leak detection on both exposed and covered applications by using Electrical Liner Integrity (ELI) surveys. Leak Location Liners are designed for use in applications that require the most stringent environmental safeguards, such as Mining, Landfills, Power Generation, and Waste Water Treatment. Download a copy of the new document here.

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) Southeast Chapter has announced two scholarships of $1,500 are available for the 2013-2014 school year. Recipients must be undergraduates with a declared major at an accredited four-year college or university located in the Southeast Region, which includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, or Florida. Applicants must be studying in a field related to erosion and sediment control. Learn more about the award and application requirements. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced the approval of a new standard: D7852 - Standard Practice for Use of an Electrically Conductive Geotextile for Leak Location Surveys. Developed by Committee D35.10 (Subcommittee on Geomembranes), the scope aims for the standard to be "applicable to all types of geoelectric surveys when there is otherwise not a conductive layer under the geomembrane." Learn more here.;

This instructional webinar will provide attendees with knowledge on the use of geotextile containers and polymeric marine mattresses for island breakwater creation. On-site project experience from the City of Ft. Pierce Marina in Florida will be shared. This project features a permanent wave barrier, configured as a carefully sculpted, but naturally appearing, artificial island breakwater. This solution was proposed to protect the marina from a 100-year storm event, as mandated by FEMA regulations. Learn more here.;

This instructional webinar will provide attendees with knowledge on the use of geotextile containers and polymeric marine mattresses for island breakwater creation. On-site project experience from the City of Ft. Pierce Marina in Florida will be shared. This project features a permanent wave barrier, configured as a carefully sculpted, but naturally appearing, artificial island breakwater. This solution was proposed to protect the marina from a 100-year storm event, as mandated by FEMA regulations.

In response to a Nor'easter that hit the coast of Staten Island in March of 2010, a gabion retaining wall was installed along the oceanfront property to protect upland infrastructure from storm damage and wave action. The original wall design consisted of PVC coated galvanized steel gabions, spanning 100' parallel to the shore direction with a 9 ft. vertical height and two 30 ft. return walls at either end. During Super Storm Sandy in October 2012, the storm surge had pushed a large volume of sand and debris upland against the existing wall. While minimal damage was observed in confined places, the wall structure remained intact and fully functional.

Maccaferri's coastal structures are designed, produced, and installed to stand against the forces of Mother Nature. This was apparent after Super Storm Sandy hit the Northeastern United States in October 2012. Maccaferri's existing coastal structures protected homes and natural shorelines from storm surge damage and erosion. Links are provided here to fuller stories on each project, one of which involves revisiting how a 2010 installation held up to Sandy.

During a Nor'easter in March of 2010, heavy surf and high winds devastated the dune system protecting beach front homes, near the Hampton's, on the twin forks of Long Island, New York. With the dunes gone, there was nothing left to protect the beachfront properties from future storms. Instead of doing a "sand push" along the beach, or trucking in sand to rebuild the dunes, Maccaferri was approached to offer an alternative long term solution. The steel sheeting shown in the top right image was a temporary solution after an earlier storm; however, the US Army Corp of Engineers mandated that it was to be removed. The MacTubes® were installed as the only means of defense against future storms.

Atlantic Lining Company, Inc., a geomembrane specialist providing material sales and installation services for HDPE, LLDPE, PVC, CSPE, Geosynthetic Clay Liners and Polypropylene liners, has announced the appointment of Timothy Rafter as Director of Business Development. Rafter brings 20+ years of geosynthetics experience. Atlantic Lining Company, Inc. provides technical assistance, turnkey installation services, excavating, remediation, piping and concrete construction capabilities for turnkey projects through the general contracting division of Atlantic Lining Company, Inc., ALCO Construction Company.

Duke University’s Center on Globalization, Governance, & Competitiveness (CGGC) published a 44-page report in 2012 on coastal restoration projects and how geosynthetic technologies were playing a greater role. Funded...

Raven Industries Engineered Films Division has announced the installation of a new reclaim production line designed to capture and recycle excess polymer material from internal manufacturing processes. The new reclaim line is truly a state-of-the-art system, capable of producing up to 15 million pounds of reprocessed resin pellets annually. This unique design contains a specific line filtering system for the removal of foreign materials from the melt stream; allowing complete quality control of all materials produced. The integrated computer control interface monitors every aspect of the process from the introduction of material to the finished resin pellets produced. Read the release.

GSE Holding, Inc. (NYSE:GSE) a leading global manufacturer of highly engineered geosynthetic containment solutions for environmental protection and confinement applications, is excited to participate as the leading company in their industry on Manufacturing Marvels narrated by John Criswell. "Being spotlighted on Manufacturing Marvels is a testament to the dedication and commitment of our employees to provide products and solutions that protect our water and keep our communities safe. We are proud of the work we do," said Peter McCourt, Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing.

05/30/2013 - 05/31/2013 China Solid Waste Summit is where local waste management operators and multinational ones with a presence in the world's second largest economy come to discuss...

Writing for the December 2012 issue of Rebuilding America's Infrastructure, Jeff Fiske details how NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) selected Triton Marine Mattresses for bridge scour protection. The bascule piers to be protected support drawbridge gears and may also support a guardhouse on top of a key bridge in a KSC-controlled channel. The reinforced mattressed solution was selected for scour protection performance, constructability, adaptability, and durability in a challenging, submarine environment. Also, the coastal and waterway revetment system was much more cost-effective than the alternatives. Read it online. Learn more here.;

When both a navigation channel and a deep water fisheries habitat in the Lower Peoria Lake needed to be secured, project engineers found a solution to satisfy both goals. A 21-acre island was created using Maccaferri's MacTube geocontainers for shaping the island and dredged river soils for establishing the land. The result has been a flourishing vegetation spot, improved navigation depth, and safer fishing grounds. The design of this on-going project (schedule for April 2013 completion) has a 4800-foot island perimeter and uses three rows of tubes on the bottom and topped with a fourth row, each filled to a six foot fill height. Read about it.

In March, two more "Designing and Constructing Lining Systems" workshops featuring expert insight from Dr. R. Kerry Rowe (and extensive research being carried out at Queen's University) have been announced. Pre-registration is required, as space is limited. Sponsorship from terrafix and Brock White has enabled these sessions to be offered for only a nominal registration fee of $20 per attendee. On March 20, a special session will be held in Saskatoon. On March 21, the session will be held in Edmonton. Topics include all aspects of barrier system design, including leachate collection, natural barriers, clay liners, geosynthetic clay liners, geomembranes, and composite liners. Additional instruction from Dave Fuerth and Bruno Herlin. Contact Yvette Kohlmann, ykohlmann@terrafixgeo.com, +1 416 674 0363 x 274 to register. LIMITED SPACE. Register by March 1. Sponsored by terrafix and Brock White.

During Environmental Connection 2013 in San Diego (February 10–13), stop by Booth #535 in the exhibit hall and visit with the Minerva team—publishers of Geosynthetica.net and Geosindex.com. Sign up for Geosynthetica's bi-weekly e-newsletter in the exhibit hall and be registered for a chance to win 1 of 3 $50 Visa Gift Cards that will be given away during the conference.

TRI Environmental and TRI Australasia will hold the next CQA Week Training events 18-21 March 2013 in Perth, Western Australia at the offices of Engineers Australia. Key education focuses on Construction QA/QC for Geosynthetic Installations and Compacted Clay Liner and GCL Installation, Liner Integrity Survey/Assessment Training, and an opportunity to sit for the Geosynthetic Institute's Inspector Certification Program exam.