Containment

On Monday, March 14, in the 3:15 - 4:45 pm Geotextile Tubes Session, Shobha Bhatia (Syracuse University) will present "Investigations of Geotextile Tube Dewatering." Also, M.D. Grzelak (Schnabel Engineering Consultants) will offer "A Comparison of Test Methods Adopted for Assessing Geotextile Tube Dewatering Performance." Catch these sessions on Monday and the geotextile tube dewatering presentation on Tuesday during the Bernard Myles Memorial session for a full view of this fast-growing materials sector. Learn more here.;

Nonwoven fabrics manufacturer Fiberweb has launched a deeply discounted rights issue to raise £25.4m gross to help to finance acquisitions. Fiberweb is well within its loan covenants but the extra cash, ShareCast writes, will give it more flexibility with bolt-on acquisitions. The owners of international companies do not tend to be interested in Fiberweb shares and want cash. The focus of the expansion will be the industrial products business. Learn more here.;

Western Environmental Liner, an online supplier of custom fabricated pond liners, PVC liners,pit liners, field liners, canal liners and polypropylene liners, has announced they are expanding their operations by adding an additional factory. The company has decided to expand by purchasing a new factory across the street from their main factory in Tolleson, AZ. The new factory is 65,000 square feet which is being equipped with state of the art welding machinery to allow for quick execution of all orders placed. Read more.

On 21 March 2011, I-CORP INTERNATIONAL, Inc. marks 20 years of international geosynthetic materials performance consulting work that has taken us to more than 35 countries--from Alaska to Australia, India to Israel, China, Namibia, South Africa and elsewhere. Now that we can look back with 20/20 vision, we've identified 20 defining moments in those 20 years.

Management consulting, publishing and training firm ZweigWhite is pleased to announce the acquisition of Stagnito Media's Engineering Group--its architectural and engineering resources--through a new wholly-owned subsidiary, ZweigWhite Media, LLC. Included in the acquisition is CE News. Read more.

The hamlet of Arviat is scrambling to find ways to conserve water and find new sources of drinking water. The local reservoir's liner is leaking. To lessen the demand for trucked water, hamlet officials have decided going back to an old-fashioned method of supplying drinking water: cutting ice. The breach in the synthetic liner may be due to repairs from the previous summer. (Was a liner integrity test performed?) New work will be needed this year when the weather warms up. Learn more here.;

Sika posted a 6.3% increase in sales in the 2010 business year, achieving net sales of CHF 4.416 billion. In local currencies, Sika lifted sales by 10.2%. Consolidated net profit amounted to CHF 310.9 million, 37.7% above the previous year’s level of CHF 225.7 million. Despite mixed market performances, reticence on the part of public sector customers and rising raw material prices, Sika succeeded in lifting sales and net profit and is confident about 2011. The emerging markets in Latin America and Asia offer the greatest potential. Read the full release (PDF). Learn more here.;

After a very successful AgSTAR Conference in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 2010, registration is underway for the US Environmental Protection Agency's 2011 AgSTAR conference. This 6th edition will be held in Boise, Idaho. The conference will highlight the latest projects, technologies, and financial incentives, and will once again include technical presentations, a conference luncheon, exhibits, and tours of anaerobic digester farms. Learn more here.;

In the February/March 2011 issue of Film and Sheet Extrusion, Dr. Sally Humphreys writes on various aspects of the waterproofing membranes, including the utilization of EVOH in the production of geomembranes for controlling volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Kuraray's EVAL unit has become a world leader in this technology. Geomembrane applications that may benefit greatly from these developments include heap leach mining, oil sands tailings, concrete liners and biodigesters, and more. Read more about this and other market segments in Dr. Humphrey's article.

The Performing Arts Center in Pinellas Park, Florida is sporting two brand new parking lots designed to be friendlier to the environment and more efficient with the use of city property. Porous pavers with geotextile separation fabric and sand underlayers are being used. As the project manager notes, this type of low impact design essentially uses the parking lot like a retention pond. Stormwater infiltrates straight through to the water table rather than runs off. Learn more here.;

Low and Bonar confirms that its Annual General Meeting will be held on 31 March 2011 at The Cumberland Hotel, Great Cumberland Place, London, W1A 4RF, commencing at midday. A notice convening that meeting has today been posted to shareholders (and submitted to the National Storage Mechanism) together with a copy of the Company's Annual Report for the year ended 30 November 2010.

ASTM International's Committee D18 on Soil and Rock has announced work item WK32272, "Standard Test Method for Determination of Rolled Erosion Control Product (RECP) Performance in Protecting Hillslopes from Rainfall-Induced Erosion." This is a work item revision to existing standard D6459-07. Learn more here.;

The North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS)--a chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS)--will hold its biennial general assembly on March 14 from 5:00-6:00 pm in the Atrium Room of the Sheraton Dallas. This gathering is in conjunction with Geo-Frontiers 2011. For more information about activities of NAGS, visit the society's home page. Learn more here.;

At Geo-Frontiers 2011, Raven' will unveil new geomembranes in the Dura-Skrim® family of products. Both of the single- and double-sided textured K-Series are manufactured utilizing a cast extrusion process to achieve a consistent friction surface with uniform asperity heights. Raven's exclusive GeoGrip™ Technology consists a of durable, random spike pattern and bi-directional bars for uniform stabilization. Stop by Booth 902 to learn more from Raven. Also, download the information sheet (PDF).

On Monday, March 14, during the Geo-Frontiers 2011 conference (13-16 March 2011, Dallas), John Lostumbo of TenCate Geosynthetics will present a much-anticipated paper on "Geosynthetic Enabled with Fiber Optic Sensors for MSE Bridge Abutment Supporting Shallow Bridge Foundations." Geotextiles with fiberoptic components provide a resource for monitoring various design functions including strain. Data collected from fiber optic monitoring can be used to determine the functional longevity of civil structures helping to insure safety as well as providing data which may be used for evaluation of design methods. Download the abstract here.

The Thirteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium (Sardinia 2011) will be held 3-7 October 2011 in Santa Margherita di Pula, Sardinia, Italy. Themes include wastewater, waste management strategies, climate change, decision tools, legislation and more. The deadline for submission of abstracts has been extended to March 1. Learn more here.;

In May, TRI Geosynthetics Services will offer more Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) Training courses and affiliated certification in Australia. The group last provided these essential professional development and business-improving events in November 2010. The new courses will be delivered on May 9 and 13 in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales to bookend the events of the Waste 2011 Conference (10-12 May 2011, Coffs Harbour). Learn more.

The editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper has published an piece on the need for a landfill in North County, despite continuing opposition from some residents. The board writes, "Environmentalists argue that toxins from the landfill could seep into the ground and ultimately the river. They do not mention the extensive runoff collection and subdrain systems that are planned, or that the landfill will be covered by 12 layers of soil, gravel, woven geotextile, geomembrane and geosynthetic clay….The facts cannot be ignored: North County must have a place to bury its trash. And North County does not have one." Learn more here.;

The Quad Cities (Illinois and Iowa) seem to be moving away from traditional sand bags for flood defenses. The Cities are located along the Mississippi River and are annually concerned with flood risk. The city of Davenport has now made an investment in Hesco bastions, which are collapsable, reusable geotextile-lined wire forms that can be filled with sand. In addition to use as flood defenses, they have also been used for military personnel defense against blast and munitions. Learn more here.;

The Canadian Waste and Recycling Expo (CWRE), Canada's only trade show serving the waste, recycling and public works markets, will bring its 14th edition to Montreal, Quebec for the first time 9-10 November 2011 at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal. Key exhibitors including Busch Systems International, DURABAC, Écoloxia Group Environmental Inc., GINOVE, J.Y. Voghel Inc., Labrie, London Machinery Inc., Mack Canada Inc., Palfinger North America Group, Waste Management and many other leading industry companies have already signed up to participate this November in Canada's leading event.

A volatile organic compound (VOC) has been detected intruding through the geosynthetic cover of the Haverford Township, Pennsylvania Superfund Site. The off-gasing vapor has been identified as trichloroethylene. In its liquid form, trichloroethylene is a nonflammable, colorless liquid. It's used as a solvent for cleaning or degreasing metal parts. The US Environmental Protection Agency continues to monitor the site and is evaluating how extensive the vapor intrusion may have been. Fourteen nearby residences have been notified. Learn more here.;

In the February 2011 issue of Stormwater Solutions, Bryan Weldin, P.E., and Patricia Stelter of Presto Geosystems write about the use of geocellular systems for supporting sustainable vegetation on sloped sites that otherwise would not support vegetation cost effectively. Two case studies are presented, one from a pulp mill geomembrane cover project and one from a roadside ditch remediation project. Learn more here.;

The Heritage High School farm in Blount County, Tennessee recently installed geotextile fabric in the farm's heavy-use zones. The separation geotextile allows water infiltration while preventing soil erosion and rutting. This simple, environmental management strategy is one of many green initiatives the farm has implemented. The geotextile installation was made possible by a $15,000 grant from a soil conservation service. Learn more here.;

The American Institute of Architects has approved Raven Industries Engineered Films Division as a course provider for the AIA Continuing Education System, the primary source of ongoing professional education for the design and building industry. This approval was effective 1 November 2010, and Raven has prepared their initial course for implementation. AIA members are required to complete 18 hours, also called Learning Units (LU), of continuing education annually. Eight hours must relate to Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) topics, with four being material on Sustainable Design (SD). Initially Raven Industries is delivering a one-hour AIA/CES course, which provides one LU of HSW content. Read more.

Landmark Earth Solutions, Inc. (LES) unveiled three new engineered erosion control and earth management technologies today in Orlando, Florida, at Environmental Connection 2011, the International Erosion Control Association's (IECA) annual conference and exposition. LES markets a line of unique civil engineering products featuring the latest in scientific and technological advances. The new offering includes the EcoTrans™ transition mat; Safe Slope® Xtreme hydraulic mulch, and RIBS™, a rapidly-deployed emergency water and flood control system.