Turks and Caicos Island to Modernize Landfills
Within the next 12 months, Turks and Caicos Island in the West Indies will replace its small, unlined dumps with a large, new, modern landfill with a geosynthetic lining system. The landfill will include a self-sealing geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) under a 60-mil layer of a polyethylene geomembrane. Refuse will be spread and compacted daily over a small 100-by-50-foot working face and covered with a layer of soil, completely closing off any open waste areas each day.
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Greenroofs and Geocomposites Webinar, March 4
On March 4, HUESKER will host a free greenroofs and geocomposites webinar. The core focus will be on the use of Ultimat® TGS geocomposites and how these geosynthetic materials...
Solmax Seeks US Market Development Manager
Solmax is one of the world’s top three manufacturers of geomembranes and affiliated fluid transportation solutions (e.g., HDPE pipes, valves, fittings and accessories). The company operates major manufacturing facilities...
StormCon 2011 Call for Papers
StormCon, the world's largest conference on stormwater pollution prevention, is seeking abstracts for the 10th annual conference, which will be held 21 - 25 August 2011 in Anaheim, California. Tracks include BMP Case Studies; Green Infrastructure; Stormwater Program Management; Water-Quality Monitoring; Advanced Research Topics; Erosion and Sediment Control; and Industrial Stormwater Management. The deadline abstract submission is Tuesday, 14 December 2010.
Learn more here.;
New from Global Synthetics
The latest newsletter from Australia-based Global Synthetics includes multiple perspectives on the Utah Point Berth Project (UPBP) at Port Hedland in Western Australia. That bulk export facility is being developed to support (largely) the region's mining industries. Constructing the facility has required stabilizing roads over soft soils, securing stormwater containment zones, slope erosion control, and more. Read about that project and more here (PDF).
States ponder options to resolve flood control dilemma
Flooding from the overflowing Mississippi River is causing some states and the Army Corps of Engineers to reconsider their flood control strategies. Some suggested options include turning tracts of land into natural wetlands to absorb the flooding, training farmers to shift to practices that avoid contributing to flooding and runoff, and moving away from building levees, dams and spillways and focusing on diverting flood waters away from agricultural land and densely populated areas.
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PODCAST: Disturbed Land Reclamation with Tom Williams
In this episode of GeoTalk, we check in with Tom Williams, a 40-year veteran of disturbed land reclamation work, much of which has been in connection with mining.
Mining activities...
CQA Week Review: Liner Integrity Surveys Course
During the recent CQA Week events at TRI/Environmental's campus in Austin, Texas, two days were given to the T-CLIC geoelectric Liner Integrity Survey and Assessment (LISA) course, which combines both classroom and practical, hands-on field training in on-site test cells. The course saw a very eclectic, enthusiastic, and international group learn about locating leaks in geomembrane lining systems. Participants came from South Africa (2), Portugal, and Peru, as well as North America. Installers, engineers, and construction quality assurance (CQA) firms were represented. In a new development for the course, instructor Ian D. Peggs (I-CORP INTERNATIONAL) was supported by Abigail Beck of Ausenco Vector. Ms. Beck presented segments on development of LISA as a business, liner design considerations, case histories and defects found, and future directions. Rich Lacey (TRI) presented the segment on Electricity 101. Read more.
A Hydrostatic Pressure-Resistant Tunnel Lining in Bavaria
By NAUE Geosynthetics - As part of the Deutsche Einheit (German Unification) Traffic Project 8.1, the Deutsche Bahn Netz AG (German Railways) ordered the construction of the Höhnberg and...
Maryland Coal Ash Landfill Leaks Trigger Lawsuit Threat
Concerns about toxics discharged from an unlined coal ash waste dump in suburban Washington, DC have prompted four environmental groups to give formal notice that they intend to sue Mirant MD Ash Management, LLC and Mirant Mid-Atlantic, LLC Corporation of Atlanta, Georgia for Clean Water Act violations in Maryland. The Brandywine Coal Combustion Waste Landfill receives fly ash and bottom ash from Mirant's coal-fired Chalk Point Power Plant, the largest power plant in Maryland. Mirant says the 40-year-old plant is ISO 14001:2004 certified, which means it meets a widely accepted international standard for environmentally responsible operation
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International Geosynthetics Society Extends Photo Deadline
The 2nd International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) Photo Contest has a new deadline: March 1. The inaugural contest was extremely successful and helped establish a collection of high-quality photos of geosynthetics for use in promotion of these technologies and construction practices and in the dissemination of educational material.
GWMS 2010 Begins
The Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) 2010 is taking place at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio, Texas through October 6. Geosynthetica's Elizabeth Peggs is there. The GWMS is an esteemed forum for the presentation of peer-reviewed applied and fundamental research and case studies on waste management. The bienniel event features significant international participation. This unique educational opportunity will not be around again until 2012. On-site registration is still available.
Learn more here.;
Henderson's Next Step
Henderson County, North Carolina is to take over its own erosion control monitoring from the state in October. The next step in the county's preparation is to research stormwater management plans and decide whether stormwater runoff is another area the county would like to monitor.
Learn more here.;
INTERVIEW: An Insurance Policy for Geosynthetic Installations
CQA Solutions (CQAS) has built a strong reputation in the geosynthetics field for its approach to quality assurance on geosynthetic installations. This has included pioneering work on the “zero...
East Coast's T-RECS™ Provides an Economical, Tough, Permanent Erosion Control Solution
East Coast Erosion Control, a global supplier of rolled erosion control products, hydromulches and turf reinforcement mats (TRMs), announces its newest offering: T-RECS™ (Turf Reinforcement Erosion Control Solution). Designed to provide extremely durable erosion control more quickly and at a more affordable price, the T-RECS™ system utilizes a revolutionary, three-dimensional, woven polypropylene, geotextile TRM structure that enables the user significant flexibility in installation without sacrificing performance.
TRI's 2008 Sets Up a Strong 2009
TRI/Environmental has steadily (often quietly) added to its testing and training business over the years, but 2008 may have its most significant. New hires (including industry veteran Rich Lacey) have strengthened the efficiency and skill of TRI's work; new testing equipment has greatly expanded the company's capabilities, especially in geotechnical areas; TRI has achieved AASHTO's American Materials Research Laboratory (AMRL) certification; electrical resistivity testing training continues with participants coming from all over the world; the Denver Downs large-scale testing facility is maturing; and much more. It's been an important 2008 and bodes well for a strong future. Read TRI's annual letter for the full story.
EC Waste Acquires WM’s Puerto Rico Operations
NEW YORK and SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new ownership team led by Post Capital Partners and 30-year waste management industry veteran Randy Jensen has acquired the solid waste operations of Waste Management,...
Aquaculture Revival in Kereta
Radio New Zealand reports that a new aquaculture zone has been declared off the coast of Kereta near Coromandel Harbour. The project ends a 7-year moratorium on new aquaculture initiatives. Even with the moratorium, the industry has still supplied nearly $27 million and 300 jobs to the region. In New Zealand, as in most places, aquaculture is growing in importance and scope.
Learn more here.;
GIGSA Nominations Due
Riva Nortje, the vice president of the Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA), reminds members that the biennial Gigsa awards are due by 30 June 2011. Categories include "Development in Technology" and "Construction." She notes that the GIGSA committee intends to issue these awards during the two-day short course to be presented by Professor R. Kerry Rowe at the Centurion Council Chambers on 6-7 September 2011. That course topic is "Geosynthetics in bottom liners and covers for use in lagoons, secondary containment, landfill and mining applications".
Project Stories: GeoTalk Issue 23.1 Published
Tensar International Corporation has published its latest issue of GeoTalk, a regular geosynthetic technology and project stories publication. This issue adds seven stories to the series:
Building Public Transportation over...
Plan to fight Gulf 'dead zone' will target agricultural polluters
Almost a decade after states along the Mississippi River pledged to reduce pollution that leads to the perennial "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, the federal government has announced the first program to specifically target and reduce agricultural runoff into the river. Read more.
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Funeral Arrangements Announced for Bernard Myles
Bernard Myles' funeral will take place at 2 pm on 14 May at Redstone Cemetery, Philanthropic Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 4DG, UK. Afterwards there will be a reception at Bletchingley Golf Club, Church Lane, Bletchingley, Surrey, RH1 4LP. Redstone Cemetery is 6 miles from London Gatwick Airport and 1 mile from Redhill station. Note that seating in the cemetery chapel is limited and that some guests may have to stand. For catering purposes Jeanne (Jan) would like to know approximately how many people will come to the reception. If you plan to come, or if you have any other questions, please e-mail or telephone John and Caroline Greenwood, (jandcgreenwood@hotmail.com; 01483 277558). No flowers please. It is planned that donations in Bernard's memory should go towards a bursary for a student of geosynthetics. Further details will be provided.
D35 Work Item on GCL Shear
ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced a work item for geosynthetic clay liners. The work item, WK32756 ("Standard Test Method for Determining the Internal and Interface Shear Resistance of Geosynthetic Clay Liner by the Direct Shear Method") is a work item revision to existing standard D6243-09. This work involves the addition of an appendix to provide the user with guidelines of what test parameters are required to be specified to obtain the intended shear result.
Learn more here.;
IECA Field Tours at Environmental Connection 2017
The International Erosion Control Association Region One will offer a number of field tours at Environmental Connection 2017, the annual conference and exhibition from the association. Learn-in-the-field opportunities include:
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Current Reading: the Economist, Dec 13-19
We've found that the 13-19 December 2008 issue of the UK-based newspaper The Economist is loaded with engineering-ready fodder, from an extensive report on India and China's needs (and what the world economy needs from those nations) to an editorial and coverage on President-elect Barack Obama's proposed massive spending on improving American infrastructure. Some articles are available free online.
Learn more here.;