Containment

Testimonials from the people using a company's products and services are often one of the strongest ways to highlight the value and strengths in that company's offerings. Bill Johnson, a field technical engineer with Firestone Specialty Products, has shared a comment on Demtech Services Inc., a maker of welding equipment and other materials used in the installation of geosynthetics, such as the geomembranes produced by Firestone. Addressing Demtech's "Demo Dave" McLaury, Johnson commented: "Demtech equipment is innovative and your energy is infectious. Those of us who benefit from your continual strides forward appreciate all you do for our industry." Learn more here.;

South Dakota-based Raven Industries is renowned producer of geomembranes for a variety of civil engineering applications. The company is involved in a great many more product markets too, such as agricultural and construction films. The January 2011 issue of Applied Market Information's magazine Film and Sheet Extrusion has recognized Raven's capabilities by naming the company "Extruder of the Month." Find it on page 42 of the digital issue. Learn more here.;

After remediation of underground contaminants by Jersey Central Power and Light, the city of Cape May, New Jersey intends to purchase numerous properties in order to create a multi-use park. One of the sites is a former manufactured gas plant, which burned coal to produce gas for cooking and heating and left a number of toxins below ground. Those substances range from naphthalene to benzene. The contaminants extend as deep as 40 feet, but plans call for covering the site with clean soil and a geotextile barrier rather than excavating to that depth. Learn more here.;

British Columbia's Tsolum River has been plagued by poor water quality for decades, in part due to the old copper mining activity. The site is now improving. In 2003, a wetland was added to the flow from the old mine site on Mount Washington. In 2009, a geomembrane seal was installed to cover the entire volatile site and again, immediate water quality improvement was observed. In 2010, soil and till were added. The site has shown steady improvement throughout this process. Learn more here.;

Queensland, Australia, faces billions of dollars in damage after massive floods struck the state. At least 55,923 miles of roads need to be rebuilt, and sewer systems and parks will need massive repairs. "In some instance, we won't rebuild it exactly as it was. We might build it better or smarter," said Local Government Association of Queensland CEO Greg Hallam. "But we could never build anything that would withstand what we've seen." Learn more here.;

Republic Services is progressing on the conversion of the 48-acre Hickory Ridge Landfill into the largest solar farm in Georgia. Using $2 million in federal stimulus money, Republic is closing the facility and, with an exposed geomembrane cap and thin-film photovoltaic cells, turning the site into a power generation source for the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority. It will be the state's first solar landfill. Learn more here.;

The Environmental Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers has announced that GPEC 2011 (Global Plastics Environmental Conference) will be held 17-19 October 2011 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, Atlanta, GA, USA. The theme of GPEC 2011 is "Plastics Recycling and Sustainability on my Mind." Key topics include reclamation and supply; bio-based and biodegradable materials; and recycling. SPE invites abstracts through 11 May 2011. Learn more in the PDF flyer. Learn more here.;

The NPDES Permit Writers' Manual (EPA-833-K-10-001) provides a comprehensive overview of the framework of the NPDES program and serves as one of the principal training tools to help permit writers develop legally defensible and enforceable NPDES permits. Its primary purpose as a technical resource is to guide new state and EPA permit writers through the basic steps of permit development and issuance; however, the manual also is intended to serve as a resource for others (e.g., stakeholders, the regulated community) interested in the NPDES permitting process. Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association has announced a new course on "Comprehensive Stormwater Compliance and Inspection Training for Construction Sites." This detailed training is geared towards contractors and sub-contractors. Training modules include: History and Requirements of the Clean Water Act, Basic Stormwater Management, Inspections and Documentation, Phases of Construction Management, Principles of Erosion and Sediment Control, Best Management Practices - Structural Controls, Best Management Practices - Procedural Controls. Participants have 7 days to complete the 300 minute, 7 module course. Cost: USD $175. Learn more here.;

Catherine (Kitty) H. Pilarz, senior director of Mattel/Fisher-Price product safety in East Aurora, N.Y., is 2011 chairman of the board of directors of ASTM International, one of the world’s largest and most diverse standards developing organizations. Chairman of the board is the highest elected position in ASTM International. Learn more here.;

Engineers and contractors in California are scrambling to incorporate significant new changes to rules for managing stormwater runoff during and after construction amid above-average rainfall this season. The updates--which are the state's first real code adjustments in more than 10 years--include numerical targets for runoff content; monitoring and reporting on conditions and activities before, during and after rainstorms; and leaving erosion conditions after construction equivalent to those before. It is another example of how low impact development (LID) strategies are influencing practice throughout the United States. Learn more here.;

Half of the 30 most costly projects in the world today are in rising economies such as China, Brazil and the Middle East. The No. 1 most expensive project, at $150 billion, is China's South-North Water Diversion plan, which will use the Grand Canal and two other routes to bring water to Beijing and other northern cities. Other top projects include Britain's $132 billion for offshore wind farms and Japan's $62 billion Daini Tomei Highway. Learn more here.;

Northwest Linings and Geotextile Products, Inc. seeks a Project Manager for Kent, WA location. Candidate must have a 4-year degree, 3 years of geosynthetics construction management experience, and an earthworks background including the reading of blue prints, specifications, and submittal processing. Learn more.

Seaman Corporation is seeking a geomembrane marketing specialist to be responsible for specified sales of geomembrane products in the western United States and Canada. Qualifications include a Bachelor's degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering with five years experience in engineering consulting or construction; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Learn more on Geosynthetica's Employment page.

State environmental officials approved new coal-ash landfill in southeast Baltimore Tuesday, saying "state-of-the-art" pollution controls there should allay nearby residents' fears that the power plant waste will blow into their neighborhoods and leak into the Patapsco River. Constellation Energy plans to dispose of 200,000 tons of ash on the 65-acre Hawkins Point tract. The new landfill will be required to have a geosynthetic liner, in accordance with new state regulations. Learn more here.;

Nasugbu, Batangas is the center of leisure real estate activity with the opening of Hamilo Coast’s Pico de Loro Country Club in the Philippines. The well-manicured site is characterized by beautiful water views and relaxing lagoons, the latter of which are lined with geosynthetic containment technologies for protecting the underlying aquifers. Learn more here.;

An area of Anglesey's Parys Mountain (Northwest Wales, United Kingdom) has been made safe after arsenic contamination in the soils has been contained. The site once house copper works, and the pollution legacy it left behind has been remediated and capped by geomembrane. The BBC reports. Learn more here.;

The American Public Works Association (APWA) offers an extensive series of professional development webinars and webcasts. On January 18 and 19, the association is rebroadcasting three of its most recent and most popular events: the three-part study guide towards the Certified Public Infrastructure Inspector exam and Stormwater Manager certification. Learn more.

TenCate Geosynthetics has published its Winter 2010 issue of MiraFacts, a semi-annual, electronic publication detailing projects, issues affecting engineering, short course and training opportunities, and more. The issue contains a host of interesting stories, including issues of road buildings, MiraSpec Design Solutions Software for flexible pavement designs, a pavement restoration warranty, two case studies, and more. Read it online. Learn more here.;

The 14th National Brownfields Conference (Brownfields 2011) features two and a half days of networking and educational programming. This year the conference features more than 100 educational sessions, including lively panel discussions, engaging town hall meetings, dynamic roundtables, outstanding plenary sessions, special trainings, film screenings, book signings and more. Brownfields 2011 will be held 3-5 April 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Learn more about the educational offerings. Learn more here.;

Tri-Tech Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIT), a premier Chinese company that provides leading turn-key solutions for customers in the segments of water resources, water and wastewater treatment, and industrial safety and pollution control, announced today the completion and recent handover of multiple projects for municipal wastewater, solid waste treatment, tail gas control, flood monitoring and control. Read the updates here.

The Kennewick Irrigation District (Washington state) will spend nearly $700,000 to acquire and install EPDM geomembrane along six miles of canal this winter. KID board members voted to accept a bid of $698,870 from 2M Company of Billings, Mont. (which distribute Firestone material). The geomembrane rolls should be delivered in about 10 days to locations along the Badger East Canal and the KID main canal. Learn more here.;

As supplies drop and demand rises, governments, companies and individuals look for cost-effective ways to save a limited resource: water. The January 2011 issue of Specialty Fabrics Review includes an article on this sector and how covers and liners are being used around the world. Read it online. Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association's (IECA) charitable fund, Save Our International Land (SOIL), will benefit from part of the proceeds during EC11's golf outing at the Orange County National's "Crooked Cat Course." EC11 will be held 20-23 February 2011 in Orlando, Florida. This highly rated course is only 15 minutes from the conference venue. To learn more about EC11, SOIL's work and the IECA, visit www.ieca.org. Learn more here.;

Erosion along the Brahmaputra River in India has reaped considerable disaster in the past 15 years. An article in the Assam Tribune indicates that erosion has claimed 28 villages, one police station, eight schools, four tea estates, one PWD road and wide stretches of agricultural land. A new project aims to stem some of that erosion by installing geotextile bags along multiple kms of the riverbank. Learn more here.;