Containment

Halloween brought an unexpected scare to Oak Creek, Wisconsin: a coal ash slide along the shore of Lake Michigan. The We Energies’ site has stored coal ash since the 1960s. It’s too early to know what precipitated the bluff’s collapse, but a nearby retaining pond is being drained as a precaution. Waste from the hillside’s collapse has entered Lake Michigan. The exact mix of waste released has not been fully described, but a spokeswoman for We Energies has noted that coal ash was most likely part of it. The decades-old ash had been stored in an unlined system, like much of the coal ash in the United States.

Recently, Pennsylvania State Senator Judy Schwank visited East Coast Erosion Control in Bernville, Pennsylvania to learn about the company's business and the products that provide erosion and sediment control. Pennsylvania possesses both one of the United States' most highly sought energy potential as well as a legacy of environmental struggle due to mismanaged mining and resource extraction controls. Sen. Schwank has been influential in her state's environmental policy discussions. Materials such as East Coast produces are being utilized now to make the current energy tapping and resource extraction boom both economically successful and environmentally sound. Read the release from East Coast.

On his recent trip to Abu Dhabi, where he attended (and spoke at) the 4th Geosynthetics Middle East conference, Ian Peggs learned not only that a Canadian passport will not get you a visa to the UAE but that the constraints and barriers to geosynthetics continue to drop and understanding continues to grow. It's all part of an international dialogue. Read his latest contribution from the field.

Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics has announced the launch of its Coretech® barrier membrane technology platform, which enables the engineering of versatile and lightweight chemical and biological-protective composites. Among the cited uses of the technology is Coretech® EnviroGuard for chemical or fuel containment bladders or tank liners.

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City-sponsored Geosynthetics (environment-friendly materials) Middle East Conference 2011 got to a great start today in Abu Dhabi featuring participation of an elite panel of regional and global roads and infrastructure experts. The event, which runs for two days, is organized by German Plastics Centre SKZ in collaboration with the German Chamber of Commerce with the aim of promoting the commitment to a sustained and environment-friendly infrastructure. During the Conference, the Municipal Infrastructure and Assets Sector at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City presented a working paper highlighting the key road and infrastructure projects undertaken by the Municipality in the past.

The 2011 International Achievement Awards from the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) have been announced. Thirty-three categories are included in the annual IAA competition. The winners are usually announced during the IFAI Expo Americas event (which is currently wrapping up in Baltimore). In the Geosynthetic Projects categories, TenCate Geosynthetics, Ace Geosynthetics and Agru America were recognized. Read more.

A jobs bill (H.R. 2273) authored by Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-WV), which for the first time sets minimum federal guidelines regulating coal ash while empowering the states to enforce them, passed the House Friday with overwhelming bipartisan support. McKinley’s legislation, which a Veritas study found could protect up to 316,000 jobs from being eliminated, was approved 267-144, with 37 Democrats voting yes. The Charleston Gazette’s Ken Ward Jr. today noted that the question of how to regulate coal ash has been "a long simmering issue ignored by many policymakers" – until now. Read the release.

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced a new standard: D7701, "Standard Test Method for Determining the Flow Rate of Water and Suspended Solids from a Geotextile Bag." In the "Significance and Use" section on D35's page, the committee notes, "This test method may be used as an aid to design geotextile container systems that contain fine-grained, high water content slurries such as dredged materials to meet special environmental or operational requirements. This test is often used to demonstrate the efficacy of geotextile dewatering to regulatory agencies in determining the amount of dredged material sediment passing through a geotextile and the flow rate for specific high water content materials." Learn more here.;

In one of the more memorable recent pairings of Congressional sponsorship and the subject of a bill, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has co-sponsored with Missouri's Senator Roy Blunt the introduction of legislation to exempt various animal waste and farm management practices from Superfund liability and regulation. Read the senators' release.

Papers are invited for Current and Future Practices for the Testing of Multi-Component Geosynthetic Clay Liners - Third Symposium to be held Friday, 29 June 2012. Sponsored by ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics, the symposium will be held at the Sheraton San Diego in San Diego, California in conjunction with the June standards development meetings of Committee. Topics of the symposium include: Mechanical testing; Peel and Shear Behavior; Hydraulic Testing; Durability of multi-component; Field Performance; and Research Studies. Learn more and submit abstracts online.

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced a new work item: WK34962, "New Guide for Limitations with the different Techniques for Electrical Detection of Potential Leaks Paths in Geomembranes." In the scope statement, the committee notes, "This standard guide is intended to assist and educate individuals or groups in assessing the limitations of the different options available for locating potential leaks paths in installed geomembranes through the use of electrical methods. Guide is needed since there is a lot of misunderstanding in the industry what the electrical leak location surveys can provide." Learn more here.;

During the Construction and Demolition Recycling Forum (Baltimore, September 2011), the National Demolition Association (NDA) Environmental Excellence awards recognized some of the most notable, creative and successful projects of the past year. Standard Industries of Ventura, California, was recognized for its Port of Los Angeles demolition project, which had a 99.78% recycling rate. This included finding end markets for the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pond liners from the site. Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association's membership voted to re-elect Philip Handley, REM, CPESC, CESSWI, to the 2012 Board of Directors. Joining Handley to the 2012 Board of Directors is former board member and President Ron Faucher, CPESC, and new board member Gustavo Salerno, PE, CPESC. Faucher and Salerno will begin their terms on the Board of Directors in February alongside fellow members Beth Chesson, Julie Etra, Philip Handley, Sandy Mathews, Brock Peters, Charles Riling, Jr. and Tom Williams. Read more in the release.

Leister Process Technologies, the worldwide leader in plastic welding and hot air equipment announces the opening of its expanded U.S. headquarters outside of Chicago. The new, centrally located facility quadruples Leister's capabilities in North America. Among the new services offered: Complete inventory of Geosynthetic tools for instant availability; Complete spare parts inventory for overnight parts shipping; Complete new service and repair facility; and Complete new training and demonstration space. Read more.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent, nonpartisan entity, is tasked with investigating how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. Among its central work is auditing agency operations for or advising agencies on more efficient and effective spending considerations. It stands as no small matter, then, that two Congressional figures have submitted a letter to the GAO requesting the performance of a study "to investigate the life cycle costs and benefits of incorporating innovative materials in pavements." Geosynthetics can play a welcomed role here. Read more.

An interesting, if brief, take from Fortune Magazine on the forthcoming water shortage…and business opportunities in it. From graphics depicting the disparity between water gallons it takes to produce a pair of blue jeans vs. a pound of steel to contrasting the price of 100 gallons of tap water in Buenos Aires and Copenhagen, it's a fascinating 10-slide story of facts, industry players, needs and more. Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) has opened registration for its annual conference and expo, Environmental Connection 2012 (EC12). Interested parties can visit IECA's website for details on full-day courses, shorter technical sessions, special events and the exhibit hall. Learn more in the release.

Geosynthetic barrier materials have become crucial environmental protection materials in waste management, water and wastewater management, mining, industrial processing, and other sectors. Despite the wide usage (including government regulated and required use), the number of qualified professionals who can verify the integrity of geosynthetic barrier installations remains low. Liner integrity survey/assessment (LISA) remains a strong need in the field, and only one place is currently teaching these skills and certifying and auditing the specialists: TRI/Environmental Inc. in Austin, Texas. The next opportunity to learn LISA technology as well as take advantage of two key QA/QC geosynthetics short courses and to test for GSI inspector certification is 14-18 November 2011 during CQA Week.

A new USDA study shows that farmers using combinations of erosion-control and nutrient-management practices on cultivated cropland are reducing losses of sediment, nitrogen and phosphorous from farm fields and decreasing the movement of these materials to the Great Lakes and their associated waterways. The study, prepared by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), estimates that the use of conservation tillage and other conservation practices has resulted in a 50 percent decline in sediment entering rivers and streams.

The American Public Works Association's (APWA) annual Sustainability in Public Works Conference series provides a key link between public sector engineers, municipal leaders, and design and construction professionals. The next event will be held 25-27 October 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and will include topics such as life-cycle cost analysis, practical sustainability, energy efficiency and conservation practices, low impact development (LID), best practices case studies, and much more. These subjects will touch upon all aspects of the public works' professional's responsibilities (e.g., roads, waste management, stormwater runoff). Deadline for abstract submission: 17 October 2011. Learn more here.;

Syntec has announced the introduction of its new line of integrally formed biaxial and uniaxial geogrids. Syntec SBX biaxial geogrids are made of polypropylene (PP) using punched and drawn technology. The company's UX-S and UX-W series of uniaxial geogrids are produced of high density polyethylene (HDPE) with the same technology.

Several investigators have reported higher densities of indicator bacteria after dewatering of anaerobically digested biosolids, an inevitable byproduct of the wastewater treatment process. The effects of these processes on the sudden increase and regrowth of fecal coliform and E.coli are examined in the latest issue of Water Environment Research (WER), the popular journal published by the Water Environment Federation (WEF). Formerly available to subscribers only, selected WER articles are available free to the public on a monthly basis through an open-access program.

The Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant in Washington, D.C., is starting a $4 billion project to meet new regulations and enhance water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. Nitrogen levels will be reduced and tunnels built to store peak water flows for later treatment. Cambi thermal hydrolysis will be used to "cook" wastewater sludge into upgraded biosolids to be used to generate energy for the plant. "This is about as green a project as you can get," said Dave Schwartz, of Camp, Dresser & McKee. Learn more here.;

American Environmental Group Ltd (AEGL) of Richfield, Ohio, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Power Management, Inc. (PMI) of Goleta, California. Carl Apicella, President of AEGL, stated, "The merger of the PMI and AEGL teams creates a powerful force in the specialty environmental and energy services markets. Adding PMI's southern and northern California operations centers also improves AEGL geographical coverage, and at the same time creates a national platform to deliver PMI's services to power generation markets."

Under the Patronage of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, the 2011 GEOSYNTHETICS Middle East Conference is taking place on 25th and 26th October at Park Rotana Hotel with the collaboration of AHK the German Chamber of Commerce. With a focus on the regions infrastructure projects and environmental applications, the Geosynthetics Middle East 2011 will once again contribute to the quality of the construction projects throughout the region, increasing their value and considerably extending their service life.