Containment

By Diana Davis – Showcase your work and support the global geosynthetics field! The International Geosynthetics Society conceived the IGS Photo Contest to create an excellent collection of photos...

View the US Government General Accountability Office's (GAO) September 2008 report in PDF: "Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: EPA Needs More Information and a Clearly Defined Strategy to Protect Air and Water Quality from Pollutants of Concern." This report is referenced in the 24 September 2008 article on geosynthetica "Animal Waste Debate." Learn more here.;

Millions of tons of toxic coal ash is piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states. An Associated Press analysis of the most recent Energy Department data found that 156 coal-fired power plants store ash in surface ponds similar to one that ruptured last month in Tennessee. On Friday, a pond at a northeastern Alabama power plant spilled a different material. Read more. Learn more here.;

ST. PAUL, Minn. - 14 May 2013 - The board of the Stormwater Equipment Manufacturers Association (SWEMA) announced that the organization's 2013–2014 initiatives will focus on expanding its outreach...

LyondellBasell Industries has announced a project to cease the production of polypropylene (PP) at Terni, Italy. The company has started the employee consultation process regarding a project to permanently shut down the unit. LyondellBasell said that PP production activities in Italy will be focused on the company’s world-scale sites at Ferrara and Brindisi. The Terni plant has a nameplate capacity of 255 KT per year. In conjunction with the shutdown project, LyondellBasell has started consultation with representatives of the employees to determine the appropriate path forward for the employees at the site. The plant currently has approximately 120 permanent employees. Learn more here.;

The floods affecting American waterways in 2011 have been, for many communities, historic, as have the engineering solutions being utilized. American Environmental Group, Ltd. (AEGL) has been part of a first-of-its-kind emergency levee protection effort in Mississippi that has used impermeable geomembrane liner to help secure the backside of the Yazoo River Backwater Levee. This emergency strategy, directed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is designed to prevent catastrophic erosion and failure of the levee in the event the flood water overtopped the levee.

Levees in the New Orleans area are being decertified at the moment. Faced with an estimated need of $100 billion to properly fix the region's levee system and prevent another disaster such as the failures that occurred during 2004's Hurricane Katrina. Decertification will affect zoning and property issues. The US Army Corp of Engineers has made repair proposals, but those plans are contingent upon significant funding increases necessary to take on responsibility for the larger system and correct it. Learn more here.;

Strong companies are often characterized by stability among key staff. Following its history of internal team development and promotion, TenCate Geosynthetics has announced the promotions of Beth Wilbanks...

On 19 March 2014, a new series of webinars from the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS) will debut. Tentatively scheduled to be quarterly installments, NAGS and the Geosynthetics Division...

Australia's National Aquaculture Council (NAC) expects world food pressures to cause a doubling of the country's aquaculture industry--and within seven years. This forecast comes during the Australasian Aquacultuer 2008 event, currently being held in Brisbane. The council expects this to extend to significant growth in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Learn more here.;

The Maccaferri Group has acquired Sargon Geosynthetics Ltd. Sargon, based in New Delhi, has provided geosynthetic solutions to India's infrastructure market for many years, working in erosion control, road and rail improvement, water and waste containment, and much more. Maccaferri is a global manufacturer of geosynthetics and has worked steadily in the Indian market through its Maccaferri Environmental Solutions Ltd. division.

On April 10, GeoAmericas 2016 will feature a half-day short course on Current Advances and Trends in Containment Technologies. The session will be led by Dr. Timothy D. Stark...

In December 2011, Fiberweb turned its corporate focus to the global geosynthetics and technical fabrics markets. With a long history of material innovation to draw from, Fiberweb has also rebranded its company as "The Next Answer" and redesigned its website.

In 1997, 10-year-old boy's science experiment revealed that PCBs had polluted Big Spring Creek near Lewiston, Montana. The source: painted raceways at a state fish hatchery. A settlement has just been reached with landowners who suffered property value declines. The problem has also been corrected: the raceways have been lined. Learn more here.;

A new hydrogen sulfide gas collection system at the Sarpy County Landfill (Nebraska), expected to eliminate the foul smell that's plagued neighbors for years, is scheduled to be finished by late October. Blue Source/CII of Utah was hired by the county last year to install and operate the gas collection system, which includes several extraction wells and a main pipe. The nearly $1.5 million system comes at no cost to taxpayers. This is the latest step, following attempts to use synthetic covers over portions of the landfill. Learn more here.;

Berkshire Partners LLC, the Boston-based private equity firm, today announced it has sold its ownership position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS), the leading manufacturer and distributor of corrugated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe products in the world. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. ADS serves a variety of markets including storm and sanitary sewer systems, stormwater retention/detention systems, septic systems, roadway constructions, residential and commercial construction, golf courses, athletic fields and agriculture. Today, more than 8.5 billion feet of ADS pipe are in service around the world.

On May 24, Interwrap's Jimmie Eloff was discussing a canal lining option with an engineer in Idaho. The next morning, Eloff contacted the engineer with a woven-coated geomembrane specification...

The ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics meeting in San Antonio, 27-29 January 2010, will feature important new events: Geocell Standardization Exploratory Meeting; Shear Strength Test Result Interpretation; Subgrade Reinforcement; and a Workshop on Geosynthetic Material Durability: Field and Laboratory Experiences. Learn more about these special events.

Webinars have grown significantly in their use for technical knowledge transfer, engineering training, and product and application introduction. HUESKER, which has run a successful series of hour-long webinars,...

Land and Water Magazine's Erosion and Sediment Control Network (ESCN.tv) if hosting a webinar on 3 December 2009: "Online Marketing Webinar for Erosion and Sediment Control Industry." The webinar will show you how ESCN.tv can help you communicate one-to-one with your target audience. They note, "We will review how we measure engagement and demonstrate how this medium enhances branding, communication, and lead generation." Learn more. Email Kim Kline at kimlandandwater@gmail.com. Learn more here.;

At its peak and not long before it made landfall in Rockport, Texas, Hurricane Harvey was rated a Category 4 storm. It was the first major hurricane to make...

GeoAmericas 2012, the second Pan-American Geosynthetics Congress, will be held 1-4 May 2012 at the Libertador Hotel in Lima, Peru. It will be organized by IGS Peru, under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). The congress will highlight the main topics in the geosynthetics industry and applications. Keynote lectures and selected papers will be presented on the main themes: Geosynthetics in Enviromental Applications; Geosynthetics in Dynamic Applications; Geosynthetics in Hydraulic Applications; Geosynthetics in Mining Applications; Geosynthetics in HIghways Applications; Geosynthetics in Sanitary Applications; Case Histories; and New Geosynthetics Products. Learn more.

Studies from Europe are finding that municipal landfills can safely incorporate debris that has been contaminated by chemical weapons, such as sarin, mustard gas and VX. Questions about burying hazardous debris arose following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the railways in Spain and London's subway. Researchers found that modern geosynthetic-lined landfills will provide the necessary containment and groundwater protection. Learn more here.;

The Asia Mining Congress 2010 has announced its speaker list: Donald Lindsay, CEO, Teck, Canada; Sam Walsh, CEO, Rio Tinto Iron Ore, Australia; Nagi Hamiyeh, Managing Director -Investment, Temasek Holdings, Singapore; Fabio Barbosa, CFO, Vale, Brazil; and Ian Pearce CEO, Xstrata Nickel, Canada. Learn more about this event from Terrapinn at the conference website. Learn more here.;

Canada-based Albarrie has a blog to showcase projects utilizing its SorbWeb Plus system for applications such as secondary containment. Learn more here.;