StormCon 2009
Erosion Control magazine editor Janice Kasperson writes about the eighth annual StormCon event, which will take place in Anaheim, California, 16-20 August 2009. Six conference tracks are being offered: BMP Case Studies; Low-Impact Development (LID); Stormwater Program Management; Water-Quality Monitoring; Advanced Research Topics; and Source Control. Read more about the event in Kasperson's write-up.
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GeoAfrica 2013 Call for Abstracts
GeoAfrica 2013 will be held 18-20 November 2013 in Accra, Ghana (NY Times' #4 place to visit in 2013). This event will be the Second IGS Regional Conference on Geosynthetics in Africa. Attendees interested in transportation, mining, water and waste management are all certain to be on site for this event. Abstracts in English not exceeding 400 words should be submitted by email to Technical@GeoAfrica2013.com not later than 31 March 2013.
Geosynthetica at GeosPeru 2017
Geosynthetica will be at GeosPeru 2017 in Lima, Peru, March 29 – 31. If you or your colleagues will be part of the event at the Hotel Los Delfines,...
Four Australia Landfill Design Seminars Headline August Opportunities
Global Synthetics is partnering with NAUE Geosynthetics (Germany and Malaysia) and Skaps (USA) to offer a series of four landfill seminars across Australia in August. The event, Advances in Landfill...
Stormwater Equipment Manufacturers Association Launches Website
The Stormwater Equipment Manufacturers Association has launched a new website: www.stormwaterassociation.com. The website contains information about the association's activities, membership, technical information and a buyer's guide. The buyer's guide is a free useful resource for end users needing information about stormwater equipment and other services. Read more in the release.
Flexible Landfill Cover Uses Flexible Solar Cells
The old saying that things are bigger and better in Texas just might apply to landfill management. Republic Services, Inc. has unveiled a 5.6-acre exposed landfill cap with photovoltaic (PV) cells adhered directly to the geomembrane. It's all taking place on a portion of the 680-acre site along Tessman Road in San Antonio, Texas. Firestone manufactured the green-colored geomembrane, and United Solar manufactured the flexible PV laminates.
Also New from SPE
The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) has added the December 2008-published DVD presentation "Utilizing FTIR, DSC, TGA and Ash to Identify Polymer Types" to its store's offerings. This DVD presentation deals with the basic identification of plastics by the use of FTIR analysis, DSC, TGA, and muffle furnace ash. The operation of each instrument is explained, as are the results that can be obtained and the conclusions that can be drawn from each of the tests.
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An Interview with Sika Bau AG's Urs Streuli: New Rail Alpine Crossing (NEAT) Construction
Leister Process Technologies interviewed Urs Streuli of Sika Bau AG, regarding the New Rail Alpine Crossing (NEAT) construction in the Gotthard Tunnel. This interview is a companion piece to Christophe von Arx and Norbert Tholl's article "At High Speed through the Heart of Europe: The Gotthard Base Tunnel."
Dallas' Trinity River Levee Suffers Partial Failure
A section of the Trinity River levee has collapsed, and that is raising new concerns about the integrity of the system that shields the city from flood waters. City of Dallas officials say that unlike most levee collapses they see, this one was caused by a water leak; a slow leak caused the erosion leading to the damage. This is the third levee collapse in recent weeks for the Dallas area.
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September 2010 GSI Newsletter
The September 2010 issue of the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) Newsletter is available. This month's stories include updates on GSI's numerous research projects (e.g., UV exposure of geomembranes and field behavior and flexible polypropylene [fPP] geomembranes), updates to the information accessibility on GSI's websites, forthcoming short courses, fellowship awards for 2010-2011, and much more. Read the issue here (PDF).
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GCL Transforms Australian Quarry into Landfill
By NAUE - An Australian quarry became of the country's largest landfills, with the installation of a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) barrier system. The site, known as the Western Landfill, has an...
Contaminated Soil Discovered at Pottersburg
The London Topic (Ontario, Canada) reports that PCB contaminated soil has been discovered outside the "vault" zones where reclamation work is on-going. The contaminated soils have been moved onto a polyethylene pad and covered with a PE membrane and geotextile fabric while officials meet and a public meeting is scheduled. Longer term storage and containment will be part of the site's soil cleanup.
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GeoDenver
ASCE G-I Geosynthetics committee is soliciting papers for a mini symposium during GeoDenver 07 under the following theme: Geosynthetics in Cyclic, Seismic, and Dynamic Applications: Lesson Learned. If interested , please forward brief abstract (100 words in PDF format) to Mo Gabr, gabr@eos.ncsu.edu by April 17 2006. Geosynthetic materials are used in many difficult geological conditions as a tool for cost effective design and enhanced construction. While applications in various industry sectors are at different stages of development, documented case histories on the use of geosynthetics in cyclic, seismic, and dynamic projects are rare. This mini symposium entitled "Geosynthetics in Cyclic, Seismic, and Dynamic Applications: Lesson Learned" aims to encompass several (may be 2-4) sessions describing lessons learned when incorporating geosynthetics in such applications. The cyclic, seismic, and dynamic cases include machine and traffic, earthquakes, explosives, wave, and impact loading with reinforcement, drainage, and containment application. As such, examples with a focus on design or performance case histories are (loading being cyclic, seismic, and/or dynamic):
i. Dams and Liquefaction
ii. Seismic Stability of Mining Impoundments
ii. Walls and Slopes
iii. Water Storage Reservoirs and Waste Containment Facilities
iv. Structures subjected to Wave Loading including Shorelines
v. Machine Foundation
vi. Bridge Foundation
vii. Instrumented Pavement Sections
viii. Other Applications.
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The Trouble with Tanzania
Barrick Gold has been one of the most successful mining companies in the world, and the company has conducted admirable and at times truly unique and exemplary environmental protection at mine closure; but at the company's North Mara, Tanzania facility, locals have plagued the project. Liner has been damaged or cut and stolen on multiple occasions, and now locals have flooded into the mining zone to steal waste rock in search of gold. Clashes with security and police have intensified.
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Eurotec 2011
The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) invites you to present a paper at its inaugural EUROTEC technical conference in Barcelona, Spain. The three-day event, SPE-EUROTEC 2011, will be held 14-15 November 2011. SPE invites speakers to present papers on: Failure Analysis and Prevention; Bioplastics; Product and Engineering Design; Color and Additives; General Business; Engineering Properties; Structure; and more.
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Hydropower Project Realizes Huge Savings with Reinforced Soil
The newly constructed Arkun Dam hydropower facility on the Çoruh River (Turkey) would have been considerably more expensive if conventional concrete walls were used along the edges of the power station. NAUE Geosynthetics profiles the project and the reinforced earth option that was selected and which saved 40% on the cost for this portion of the project.
Azerbaijan to build a GCL plant
Baku, Fineko/abc.az Azerbaijani-Russian joint venture Azrosprominvest with the support of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank in Azerbaijan is to construct a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) production factory. The plant’s capacity will reach 12,000 sq m of mats for 8 working hours. The volume of investments will depend on commercial business plans. Reportedly, the plant will produce Bentomat, which is a trademark held by CETCO.
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D35 Update: New Standard
ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has published D7613, "Standard Specification for Flexible Polypropylene Reinforced (fPP-R) and Nonreinforced (fPP) Geomembranes." This is a new standard and may impact hydraulic application material selection, such as pond liners. Tests and property limits used to characterize the sheet are values intended to ensure minimum quality. In-place system design criteria, such as field-seaming strength and material compatibility among others, are factors that should be considered but are beyond the scope of the specification.
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FGI's First Meeting
Meg Griffin of the Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) has authored a short review of the FGI's inaugural meeting, which was held at Geosynthetics 2009 in Salt Lake City (late February). FGI installed a board of directors. Meg writes, "The main objectives of the new FGI include conducting research on fabricated geomembranes, disseminating technical information, establishing and maintaining a world wide website, and answering technical questions regarding the design, testing, specification, and installation of fabricated geomembranes." Read more.
GWMS Final Schedule
The first Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) is nearly upon us. The event will take place 7-10 September 2008 in Copper Mountain, Colorado. The event organizers have announced their final schedule. For those attending, be sure to reserve lodging soon. Rooms have filled quickly for this event. Read more about the schedule in the release.
Steep Slope Erosion in Vineyards
The Appalachian Center for Mountain Winegrowing at Appalachian State University has received a $9,500 grant from the North Carolina Wine and Grape Council. The Appalachian Center for Mountain Winegrowing staff will evaluate two methods of under-row soil erosion control: cover crops and erosion control blankets. Results from the study will be shared with growers to help them select erosion control strategies for their sites.
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ADS: New Precast Products Group Created
Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) is pleased to introduce Advanced Drainage Structures, which is already providing a complete line of custom and stock sanitary and storm water structures for infrastructure projects. Advanced Drainage Structures is located in Greencastle, PA at the former site of Frederick Precast Concrete, Inc. Read more.
Viewpoints with Terry Bradshaw to Feature GSE, October 1
Houston, TX – 30 September 2013 – GSE Environmental, a leading global manufacturer of highly engineered geosynthetic containment solutions for environmental protection and confinement applications, is excited to be featured...
Brockton Spilldam Joins Geosynthetica
Geosynthetic welcomes its newest underwriter, Brockton Equipment / Spilldam Inc. The company manufactures a wide range of oil containment booms and turbidity barriers for various applications in the marine environment, technologies which provide essential environmental protection for construction, mining, remediation, dewatering operations and many other applications. Learn more on Brockton's website.
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Secure Energy Services Inc. Announces Strategic Acquisition Of Pembina Area Landfill and Date Of...
Secure Energy Services Inc. ("Secure" or the "Corporation") (TSX -- SES) announced today that it has acquired the operating assets of Pembina Area Landfill Ltd. a subsidiary of Clean Harbors Inc. for a purchase price of $11.75 million (excluding transaction costs), which Secure paid in cash. The landfill is located approximately 60 kms northwest of Drayton Valley, AB in the Pembina oilfield.