Containment

The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) will hold its 2012 Design-Build for Water/Wastewater conference and exhibition in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area 23-25 April 2012. The conference has grown steadily in recent years, including record attendance in 2011. DBIA is accepting abstracts for presentations through 10 October 2011. Visit the Call for Presentations page on the event website and submit your proposal online. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) regularly offers short-course and certification professional development opportunities. Currently, GSI is preparing four one-day courses, each of which will be offered twice and worth 8 PDHs. Two new courses on retaining wall failures MSE, berm, and slope monitoring and inspection are included. Also, GSI is offering two certification exams, each of which are also available in conjunction with related courses. Read about them here.

The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has announced Long Beach, California as the next site for the long-running, bienniel Geosynthetics conference. This event will be co-located with the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) annual Southwest Geotechnical Engineers Conference. Additionally, the Geosynthetic Institute's (GSI) 25th Geosynthetic Research Institute conference (GRI–25) will be included. Learn more here.;

When SKZ's Geosynthetics Middle East (GSME) event convenes 25-26 October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, it will mark the fourth annual chapter in this conference, which has grown out of a successful series SKZ previously conducted in Germany. SKZ has organized the GSME event with BMC Gulf, and this year it will once again be held under the patronage of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi. The program for GSME 2011 has been announced. Read about it.

The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) will once again feature two geosynthetics sessions during its IFAI Expo 2012, to be held 26-28 June 2012 in Singapore. The 2011 edition included two courses taught by TRI/Environmental's Sam Allen, while the 2012 edition has now announced that Dr. A. Malek Bouazza will lead two symposiums: "Geosynthetics for Waste and Water Containment" and "Geosynthetics for Roads and Bridges." Learn more at the event website. Learn more here.;

The St. Louis Chapter of the Geo-Institute is joining with the University of Missouri-Columbia and the Missouri University of Science and Technology to launch a new geotechnical engineering and geo-environmental conference: Geoconfluence. This annual conference will include papers and case histories focused on the geotechnical engineering and geo-environmental industry. This one-day conference is open to all and is scheduled for Friday, 28 October 2011. Dr. Robert Holtz from the University of Washington is scheduled to deliver the Terzaghi Lecture on Geosynthetics at this event. Download the event brochure (PDF). Learn more here.;

Waterproof Membranes 2011 is an international conference on synthetic and bitumen waterproofing for roofing and geomembranes. This marks the fifth edition in the conference's series and it will be held 15-17 November 2011, Maritim Hotel, Cologne, Germany. Register before October 9 to take advantage the early-booking discount (EUR100 off). Learn more.

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: 15 October 2011. Learn more here.;

Pipeline operators are renewing and repairing existing pipes and laying new pipelines to secure energy and water supplies across the world. There are also new applications upcoming including carbon dioxide sequestering. Alongside this there is intense international interest in pipeline integrity and delegates from around 40 nations are expected to meet to discuss current issues and solutions at the AMI conference, Pipeline Coating 2012, which takes place from 27-29 February in Vienna, Austria. Expert consultant Noru Tsalic of AMI will lead the event with a review of market trends.

The 27th International Conference on Solid Waste Technology and Management will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 11-14 March 2012. Participants are expected from over 40 countries. Topics are expected to include landfill economics, energy recovery, regulations, liners, caps, gas and leachate management, ash containment, and much more. Abstracts due: 31 October 2011. Learn more here.;

The community of Brookfield, Wisconsin has had a moratorium on the development of five homes in a 25-home subdivision sited close to a former landfill. The town council has been concerned with how much methane might escape through the landfill cap into homes. The use of an EVOH-enhanced geosynthetic barrier might be the answer. EVOH layers have been shown to significantly increase the gas barrier performance of membranes. Incorporated into thicker geomembranes, capping and gas barrier needs could be satisfied fully in a single product. Learn more here.;

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) has announced a $10 million dollar capital investment for its Midwest facilities. This expansion initiative is in addition to the new manufacturing facility in Hampton, Iowa which ADS will open this September. This capital expansion will significantly increase production capacity and add operating efficiencies to the company's operations in North Dakota, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Manitoba and Ontario.

Seats are booking fast for the 4th International GEOSYNTHETICS Middle East conference. Attracting over 300 delegates from 25 countries in 2010, the conference has turned out to be the leading event on geosynthetics throughout the Middle East and marked Abu Dhabi on the world map as an excellent meeting place for geotechnical and environment specialists to exchange knowledge, conduct business and build strategic partnerships. Under the patronage of Abu Dhabi Municipality, the event is taking place 25-26 October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The Environmental Protection Agency has said it will review its order for a reservoir in Yonkers, N.Y., to be covered with a $1.6 billion concrete cap to protect the water from contaminants. This could be good news for reservoirs in Portland, Ore., as well, where it would cost $145 million to cover reservoirs. However, it is not clear whether the EPA will review the entire LT2 rule that deals with reservoir covers or review the need for a cover only at the New York reservoir. Learn more here.;

The West Bank levee authority in Louisiana has joined other levee authorities in urging the Army Corps of Engineers to reconsider its proposal to armor levees with erosion control materials (e.g., geotextiles) and grass to protect from erosion during storm surges. The currently proposed materials would have to be removed when the levees are raised in five years, said a levee-authority commissioner. State levee officials have proposed placing temporary concrete barriers on the levees instead. The Corps has opposed that proposal, which it said would increase the levees' height above the requirements set by Congress. Learn more here.;

The third Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) will take place 30 September - 3 October 2012 at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix, Arizona and will serve as a forum for the presentation of applied and fundamental research, case studies, and policy analysis on waste and recyclables management. The organizers invite the community of researchers, engineers, designers, academicians, students, facility owners and operators, regulators, and policymakers to participate. Abstract deadline: November 4. Read more.

Raven Industries, Inc. has announced record second quarter sales and earnings for the three months ended July 31, 2011. Growth in net income was led by profit gains in the Applied Technology Division due to favorable market conditions and continued demand for the company's precision agriculture solutions. The company has also highlighted strong demand for its geomembrane liners and covers.

Rubble from segments of the Interstate 10 Twin Spans destroyed during Hurricane Katrina will be stuffed inside erosion control gabion mattresses that will be draped along a 7.8-mile stretch of the Lake Borgne shoreline of the eastern New Orleans landbridge. Learn more here.;

The International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) has published its second issue of IGS News of 2011. Issue 27.2 includes a feature piece on the regional conferences of the IGS, reports on 2011 events and a look at 2012's opportunities, chapter news, a success story profile from South Africa, Daniele Cazzuffi's receipt of the Paolo Scolari UNI Award 2011, and much more. Read the issue here (PDF).

With many municipalities and nonprofit organizations busy repairing and rebuilding after this year's flooding, federal and state officials offer reminders that additional funding for projects that can prevent future flood damage may be available. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) is one such program. The Vermont office has issued a note about the program's work, including how geosynthetics have been used in mitigation projects. They've found that every dollar spent on mitigation can save four dollars in future repair costs.

Nazli Yesiller, the director of the Global Waste Research Institute (GWRI), writes for Waste Management World on preparing to deal with debris and waste during and following natural disasters. Her discussion of the subject includes burying and cover debris and waste and utilizing geosynthetics in the containment process. Learn more here.;

President Obama has announced that the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy, and Navy will invest up to $510 million during the next three years in partnership with the private sector to produce advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels to power military and commercial transportation. The initiative responds to a directive from the President issued in March as part of his Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future, the administration’s framework for reducing dependence on foreign oil. The biofuels initiative is being steered by the White House Biofuels Interagency Work Group and Rural Council, both of which are enabling greater cross-agency collaboration to strengthen rural America. Learn more here.;

At a Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) Workshop held on 1 April 2010, representatives from about 20 member organizations suggested the need for a program to help reduce the number of mechnically stabilized earth (MSE) wall, berm and slope failures. Our current database in this regard is well over 100 such failures. While inadequate design and construction were the root causes of these failures (both excessive deformation and/or actual collapse), both could have been avoided, or at least mitigated, by proper construction inspection. This two-way orientation by field inspectors (notification of design anomalies and correction of contractors errors) should help stem the failures of these structures going forward. Read more.

The United States Department of Commerce has granted Trade Fair Certification to IFAI Expo Asia 2012, which will take place 26-28 June 2012 at the Suntec Singapore International Exhibition Centre. The event schedule, just announced, includes key sessions on "Geosynthetics for Waste and Water Containment" and "Geotextile Materials for Roads and Bridges." Read more.

American Environmental Group Ltd. (AEG) announces the hiring of Chuck Van Houten to AEG's Geosynthetic Project Management group. An industry veteran, Chuck adds another 16 years of geosynthetics experience to AEG's core expert staff. Chuck will be working out of AEG's Houston office location. Read more.