Containment

A long term solution to longstanding erosion problems at Noosa Spit is about to carried out by Sunshine Coast Council, Australia. During the 20-week project a revetment wall will be put in place at the upstream end of Noosa Spit, along with an upstream training wall and a submerged channel closure. These artificial structures will be made using sand-filled geotextile mega-containers. Read more.

The world's leading experts on storm- and surface-water quality will gather in Anaheim, CA, August 21-25, to explore the newest water pollution prevention and mitigation technologies, share their recent experiences, and discuss which strategies are most effective in minimizing surface water pollution. After August 1 the Early Bird registration rate expires, so register today and save.

Construction work on an important bypass is being held up by a gas bubble found beneath a disused landfill site lagoon. The unusual problem has halted work on Colchester’s Western Bypass, in Stanway, United Kingdom. Investigations are now under way to find a way of safely dispersing the methane gas, which has also been giving off bad smells and upsetting residents for months. Learn more here.;

Penton Media's involvement in the waste management field is extensive, from publishing Waste Age magazine, The Circular File newsletter, and others to organizing events such as the Global Waste Management Symposium and Waste Expo. Now, the group has folded all of its properties together under a single resource: Waste360.com. Learn more here.;

The debate in the New Orleans region over levee redesigns is now pitting 100-year flood defense designs against calls for even taller levees. The US Army Corp of Engineers has been conducting extensive rebuilds, including raising levees, and is now advocating defense against overtopping failure on the back sides of the levees. Many officials, however, would prefer even taller levees. Learn more here.;

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is asking for public feedback on a newly released draft engineering design report for the Irondale Iron and Steel site cleanup in Jefferson County. The draft engineering design report calls for removal of contaminated soils and sediment; installation of a geotextile and soil cap; slag removal; and beach restoration. Read more.

Sweden-based Trelleborg manufacturers waterproof membranes, among many other materials. In the latest financial report, the company president Peter Nilsson notes: "Demand during the quarter remained favorable in most segments. We are continuing to enhance our market positions. Growth was highly satisfactory, notably in China and India. Organic sales rose 13 percent. Operating profit, excluding items affecting comparability, increased to SEK 751 M, with the EBITDA margin exceeding our financial target and totaling 12.8 percent." Read more.

The 13th International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium (Sardinia 2011) will be held 3-7 October 2011 in Santa Margherita di Pula, Sardinia Italy. In the latest update from the conference organizers, it has been announced that seven tracks will run concurrently. While the event language is English, a special eighth session will also be offered entirely in Italian for local official and professionals. The organizers report that roughly 800 abstracts from 75 nations were received. Read more and download the preliminary program.

Canada needs a plan to ensure the nation doesn't get left behind in the global race to a clean-energy future. That's what a broad selection of more than 150 companies, organizations, and academics told Tides Canada in endorsing the foundation's A New Energy Vision for Canada. The document outlines a vision of a highly energy efficient nation that has largely moved to clean energy sources by about 2050. It also suggests key elements of a national energy strategy that would deliver such a future.

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) was created two years ago to represent the wide variety of specialty geomembranes that are provided by fabricators. "The association started strong with 23 original members in March 2009," stated Dr. Tim Stark, "and that membership has more than doubled to 48 companies in all membership categories. This growth is due in part to the research being conducted by the FGI as well as the educational courses FGI regularly offers to the industry." The association has accomplished much since its inception and more projects are in the works, such as exposed solar covers and air channel testing of field seams. Anyone involved in the fabricated geomembrane industry, whether manufacturer, fabricator, designer or others allied with the industry, is invited to join.

StormCon 2011 will be held 21-25 August 2011 in Anaheim, California. Organizers are still seeking moderators to help keep the sessions moving along (e.g., BMP Case Studies, Erosion and Sediment Control, Green Infrastructure, etc.). As a session moderator, your job would be to welcome the attendees, introduce yourself and the speakers for each of the presentations in your session, and help the speakers keep track of the time. We still have openings for moderators in just about every time slot, so if you’ll be at the conference and would like to participate, email janice@forester.net for more information or to request a specific session. Learn more here.;

Reservoirs all across the United States are being redesigned. Floating covers are being added or storage is being moved underground as the threat of contamination has grown. Geosynthetic covers--CSPE and polypropylene geomembranes, for example--have been used for many of these projects, and numerous covers are in the proposal and permitting phase. The Philadelphia Inquirer writes about the issue. Learn more here.;

The Wall Street Journal reports on the state of Fresh Kills Landfill, a site that had been one of the largest landfills in the world for the last half of the 20th century. Today, the closed site is being converted into a 2200-acre park, which will make it three times larger than New York's Central Park. Over the next 30 years, while methane wells continue their post-closure work, the site will be transformed with hiking, biking and horse-riding trails; public spaces; kayaking zones; and more. Learn more here.;

Plexmar Resources Inc. announces that from February to the end of June, the production at the Malin plant was limited to small quantities of polymetallic ores as a result of delays to receive the permits for transport and storing of chemicals. These have now been issued by the Regional Government. All licenses have now been received and the plant is operating on a continuous basis. During that period, two additional tailing ponds with a capacity of 12,000 cubic meters were built and 4,800 m2 of geomembrane were installed and certified as compliant by local government officials.

Kickstarter is a microlending-styled fund-raising platform for creative projects. One of the projects gaining strong attention today comes from Designers Archie Lee Coates IV and Jeffrey Franklin of PlayLab and Dong-Ping Wong of Family Architects, who have developed the +Pool concept. The idea is to create public pools using ordinary water, even New York's river water. A geotextile-based filtration system would provide the frontline screening and treatment. Learn more here.;

AquaBlok, Ltd., a manufacture of innovative clay-based composite materials, is pleased to announce distributor agreements with A.S.P. Enterprises, Inc. (Fenton, MO), Brock White Construction Materials (St. Paul, MN), HD Supply Waterworks (Thomasville, GA) and Sunshine Supplies, Inc. (Birmingham, AL). Each is now physically warehousing AquaBlok® products to service a broad range of water sealing and geotechnical applications.

The US EPA AgSTAR Program's Value-Added Producer Grant Program is currently accepting applications for grants to provide economic assistance to independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives, and agricultural producer groups. The grants may be used for anaerobic digester projects, other renewable energy schemes, feasibility studies, business plans, and more. Applications due 29 August 2011. Learn more here.;

The Missouri River flooding has been significant and has led to the US Army Corps of Engineers needing to implement numerous emergency repairs to and defense measures along the river system's many levees and berms. Black Anthem Military News has published a piece about the Omaha District Office's work, including its use of 8 oz nonwoven geotextile fabric. Learn more here.;

For a landfill in Port Orchard, Washington, Colorado Lining International (CLI) fabricated and installed a defined sump floating cover system that included gas venting. The purpose of the cover installation was to prevent the mixing of rain water and leachate in the landfill collection ponds. Now in its third full year of operation since the installation work, a savings of $175,000 to $200,000 per year has been calculated for treatment and transportation costs (based on yearly rainfall).

The International Erosion Control Association's (IECA) Environmental Connection 2012 (EC12) event will be at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, 26-29 February 2012. The conference organizers have just set up online exhibitor information and registration information and report that more than 50% of the exhibit space has already sold. Secure your spot today. Learn more here.;

The Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) and the Mexican Society of Soil Mechanics (SMIG) will present an International Symposium on Deep Foundations, 3-4 November 2011 in Mexico City, Mexico. Sessions will focus on current advancements and innovative applications within the following technologies: Micropiles, Slurry Walls, Driven Piles and Drilled Shafts. A keynote lecture on each plus additional case histories will be presented in each half-day session. An exhibition hall will be included for the showcasing of products, equipment and services. The official languages ​​of the symposium will be Spanish and English. Simultaneous translation will be available.

Multiple financial news outlets are reporting that geosynthetics manufacturer GSE, which was acquired by private equity giant CHS Capital seven years ago, intends to file an initial public offering (IPO) with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) worth up to $144 million. The filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission indicates that Jefferies and Oppenheimer & Co would underwrite the offering and that GSE would seek to be listed under the symbol "GSE."

Rock Canyon Mine from the NDEP. The NDEP has approved NRG to operate the mine with the use of two Geotextile tubes. NRG is currently drafting an EDC submittal to present to the NDEP for permission to build a field adjacent to the site settling ponds for a further eight to ten Geotextile tubes. The NDEP has also approved the installation of the Hy-G bowl recently purchased by NRG. NRG plans to complete final site preparation, including the Hy-G bowl installation, within the next few days and then begin processing gravels for gold recovery.

There are two big events named RemTech, one in Canada and one in Italy. The Italy-based RemTech 2011 brings together 2500 professionals from multiple engineering and construction disciplines to exchange knowledge on remediation technologies. These discussions include the utilization of geosynthetics, such as in brownfields. Former IGS President Dr. Ing. Daniele Cazzuffi is serving as a coordinator on the scientific and advisory committees for this year's event. Download a brochure to this 28-30 September 2011 event (PDF).

Russ Adsit, the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) Executive Director, has posted an invitation on YouTube to EC12, which will take place 26-29 February 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Learn more here.;