Containment

Landfill solar energy covers are now starting to be taken more seriously following the installation at a site in Texas, US. A new project in Georgia now aims to go one step further and convert a 35-acre landfill into one of the world’s largest solar covers. Mark Roberts looks at the advancements in geomembranes and cost and practical considerations for landfill owners. Learn more here.;

Roctest Ltd ("Roctest"), a leading designer and manufacturer of high-precision sensors, today announced the launch of the FOP-MicroPZ, the smallest fiber optic piezometer available in the market. Piezometers measure pressure from pore-water or other fluids, and are deployed in tunnels, embankments, excavations, dams, water repository sites and many other civil engineering and industrial applications.

Western Environmental Liner's new fabrication line allows them to continue to be one of the fastest fabricators of liners in the world. Western Environmental Liner has added a new heat welding machine to their already extensive line of wedge welding and heat welding machines to enable them to keep up with their customers expanding needs.

The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $17.9 million contract to a construction firm in New Orleans to reinforce the flood walls and levees along the city's London Avenue Canal, which failed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The federal agency also approved a request by levee officials to paint all sheet piling with an anti-rust coating, a move that would ease concerns about rusting in the structures. Learn more here.;

ASTM International Committee F17 on Plastic Piping Systems has issued a work item, WK31232, "Standard Practice for Structural Design of Thermoplastic Corrugated Wall Stormwater Collection Chambers." This is a revision to existing standard F2787-09. The posted rationale is to "Revise load factors for global buckling equation, Eq. 14, to be consistent with the specified safety factor." Learn more here.;

Leaders from Nantucket, Massachusetts' Sconset Beach Preservation Fund (SBPF) are taking another swing at gaining public approval for a much-needed beach protection design. Two years ago, a $23 million proposal was rejected. Now, the group has returned with strong but economical geogrid marine mattress and gabion plan. Learn more here.;

Forester Media has issued a message asking all those who used the online system for submitting abstracts to StormCon 2011 between October 21 and November 17 to please contact Janice@forester.net or call +1 805 679 7612 to verify receipt of the abstract. A software glitch has been found that may have interferred with transmission. The abstract submittals is December 14. Learn more here.;

Land and Water magazine has published its 2011 Buyer's Guide. In addition to product and company resource and contact listings, the issue contains a host of articles, including stories on geosynthetics in renewable energy, innovative wastewater management at a winery, hydroseeding, extreme soil lifts, and much more. Learn more here.;

Green building is roaring even as the rest of the economy suffers, according to a report from McGraw-Hill Construction. Eco-friendly and energy-efficient projects now account for 25% of all construction in the U.S., the report found, with the market for green building growing 50% in the past two years to reach $71 billion. The report predicts that the green-building market will be worth $135 billion by 2015. Learn more here.;

Environmental Connection 2011 (EC11), annual conference and expo of the International Erosion Control Association (EC11), brings together the industry's best and brightest for a week of industry-leading education, networking and access to the largest expo hall of its kind. Early registration deadline is 10 December 2010, so register now to secure the best price and reserve a seat for some of the most in-demand education. Download a registration form today. Learn more here.;

Australia plans to replace much of its imported high density polyethylene geomembrane liners with product manufactured onshore. Garden City Plastics Pty. Ltd. (GCP), based at Monbulk, is investing more than A$5 million (US$4.8 million) in a new manufacturing plant to grab a share of the imported lining business, worth an estimated A$50 million (US$48.1 million). In the country, Common applications include floating covers for waste water ponds at paper mills; dam and water channel lining; to contain waste in landfills; and to contain ash at brown coal-fired power stations. Learn more here.;

After weeks of hard work, Westmoonint has unveiled a new English-language website. Compared to the previous incarnation, the new site is more convenient and time-effective for customers to find their solutions. Westmoonint is confident that the site will provide its vast network of clients and specialists, such as those using CSM in the production of synthetic rubber membranes, with the tools and information they need.

A Te Puna community group has saved Tu Koro Island in the Waikaraka estuary near Auckland, New Zealand. The island was eroding from wave action. Plans to halt the decline began more than two years ago. Today, the island is protected by 90 geotextile bags which are stacked up to four high and backfilled with harbor sand. The preservation group, Nga Tahatai o Te Puna, expects the design life to be about 100 years. Learn more here.;

Engineers investigating the raw water reservoir in Fremont, Ohio have discovered some karst. Among other effects, karst can cause seepage, piping, and instability. The engineers' report from Arcadis recommend a composite liner system (HDPE or LLDPE geomembrane and GCL) across the entire slope, protected by geotextile and cover soil, and geogrid reinforcement. The city has roughly one year to complete the reservoir project and must now seek approval to alter the design and include a lining system. Learn more here.;

The focus of the U.S. Government-funded Millennium Challenge Account Armenia Program (MCA-Armenia) is rehabilitation of Armenia’s vital irrigation infrastructure complemented with extensive technical and financial assistance to rural farmers and to the government irrigation entities that support them. Public Radio of Armenia reports that a December 3 workshop on agricultural applications included discussion geomembrane utilization in irrigation canal rehabilitation.

Implementation of the European Mining Waste Directive in England and Wales has been a protracted affair with deadlines for compliance closing in. Neil Wells, Geological Services Manager at Hanson UK, provides some insight into what this means for the extractive industries. Learn more here.;

ASTM International's Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced work item WK31090, "Standard Guide for Installation of Geosynthetic Clay Liners." It is a work item revision to existing standard D6102-06. Any approved changes to the standard are expected to be minor. Learn more here.;

TenCate Geosynthetics has appointed Paul Firrell (44) as new managing director Europe, effective 1 January 2011. Mr Firrell has vast experience in the geosynthetics industry, including 18 years with GSE Lining Technology Inc., manufacturer of geosynthetic liners and related products and services. Here he was Managing Director of the company's EMEA and Russian operations and also held the role of Group Chief Operating Officer of the global business.

Environmental Connection 2011 (EC11), annual conference and expo of the International Erosion Control Association (EC11), brings together the industry's best and brightest for a week of industry-leading education, networking and access to the largest expo hall of its kind. Early registration deadline is 10 December 2010, so register now to secure the best price and reserve a seat for some of the most in-demand education. Learn more about the training courses, technical sessions, exhibit hall, hotel and travel.

Plastemart reports that metallocene LLDPE resins and demand in China may pressure mLLDPE film and sheet, including geomembranes, below even simple LDPE. While mLLDPE was once difficult to process efficiently, newer developments, overcoming of technical hurdles and new activator technologies are making metallocene catalysts cheaper to use. Additionally, processors have modernized their equipment. Asia's capacity to produce mLLDPE is expected to increase significantly in the next two years. Learn more here.;

From January 2011, Ian Fraser, will succeed Hein Jas as Tensar International's Director of Application Technology. Ian Fraser will lead the company's development of new and existing markets as it seeks to speed the adoption of geosynthetic materials in construction projects. Currently Vice Chairman of the UK Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society, he represents the IGS on The Ground Forum and is leading the Working Party on the Development of a Minimum Standard for Geotextile Separators in the UK. He is also involved in the development of a Code of Practice for Use of Geosynthetics in Asphalt via the Road Surface Treatment Association.

During a 27 November 2010 gathering at the Gujarat Centre of The Institute of Engineers in India, numerous speakers, including government ministers, presented case studies and information on geosynthetics. The event focused on the beneficial impact of polymeric materials on infrastructure. DNA India reports that participants included government agencies and industries, manufacturers and academics. Areas discussed involved roads, water conveyance and storage, erosion control, and more. Learn more here.;

Pipelines International has published an article on its website regarding the construction of pipelines in rainforests. Among the many recommendations is the need for geotextiles or other geosynthetics to ensure access road stability. The soils at most of these sites do not have good load bearing capacity. Geosynthetics provide that support and allow dependable pipeline construction. Learn more here.;

Veteran Falls Memorial Park is a donation-supported installation in Granbury, Texas. The site has the largest memorial waterfall in the United States at 290 feet in length. The entire falls construction is underlain with geomembrane for water conservation. A five-acre park is set around the falls. Families of soldiers killed in action may, for free, have a stone engraved with that solder's name, rank and date of death and placed in the falls. Learn more here.;

ASTM International's Committee F17 on Plastic Piping Systems has announced work item WK30990, "New Practice for Installation of Corrugated Plastic Pipe for Agricultural Drainage." This recommended practice is intended for corrugated high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe for agricultural and turf drainage applications. Contractors, specifiers, and farmers will use this specification. Learn more here.;