Containment

Lake Gallträsk, situated 15km west of Helsinki, used to be a popular recreational area with beaches and clear water. Unfortunately, it has suffered from major strain caused by habitation and industry. The lake is now being cleaned with a dredging program that it is utilizing Geotubes from TenCate. Roughly 26,000 m3 of silt will be removed from a 2 hectare area and pumped into a network of 12 Geotubes. To date, the lake's oxygen level is responding very favorably to the treatment. Learn more here.;

Mr. Bestmann, a Hydraulic Engineer with a green thumb, is recognized for pioneering the use of synthetic geotextiles on major marine construction applications in the 1960s, as well as his later inventions of numerous methods for addressing construction, habitat, and water quality on waterways, including specialized use of biodegradable materials to aid plant establishment. In addition to holding patents for many innovations such as floating breakwaters, artificial habitat islands, revegetation modules, and nutrient removal systems, Mr. Bestmann provided planning and design consultation globally through his firm until his retirement. Beginning over 20 years ago, he was tapped by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to provide international technology transfer to assist in the adoption of engineering and construction practices compatible with sustainable water and habitat management.

IGS-Thailand, the Asian Center for Soil Improvement and Geosynthetics (ACSIG), and the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society (SEAGS), under the auspices of International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), are jointly organizing the International Symposium on Geotechnical and Geosynthetics Engineering: Challenges and Opportunities on Climate Change to be held 7-8 December 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. This event is co-organized by the Thailand Geotechnical Society (TGS) and Suranaree University of Technology (SUT). The symposium will gather academics, practitioners, partners, and stakeholders to discuss emergency and urgent issues related to climate change as well as the innovative mitigation measures in the context of geotechnical and geosynthetics engineering.

After a failure one of the bladders in Tempe, Arizona's inflatable dam on Town Lake, the manufacturer has supplied replacement bladders. The new dam is warranteed for five years--a big change from the first dam, installed in 1999. That dam was specified to perform for 30 years but failed after just over 10. The city is debating a more permanent dam for the near future. Learn more here.;

Kaneka Corp of Osaka, Japan, has expanded its production capacity for thinfilm photovoltaic (PV) cells at its wholly owned subsidiary, Kaneka Solartech Co Ltd, which uses hybrid technology to produce PV cells with the world’s highest conversion efficiency of 12%. Production capacity will thereby increase by 80 megawatts (MW), for an ultimate annual production total of 150 MW.

The Minnesota Erosion Control Association (MECA) seeks presentations for its 23rd Annual Erosion Control and Stormwater Management Conference and Trade Show, to be held 3-4 March 2011 at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Plymouth, Minnesota. Two types of presentations are being solicited: Local projects completed for stormwater management or erosion and sediment control; New, innovative products for stormwater management or erosion and sediment control. Project presentations will be 15-30 minutes long. Product presentations will be 10-15 minutes. Submit your presentation title and 200-word abstract, project location, names and the contact information for the presenter(s) by 27 September 2010 to MECA at carolyn@fortinconsulting.com. For more information call the MECA office, +1 763 478 3267. Learn more here.;

CETCO Remediation Technologies' Remediation University is a free full-day seminar and lunch consisting of comprehensive educational curriculum designed to provide practical and useful guidance to environmental professionals. This first half of the day will cover all aspects related to the subaqueous capping and treatment of contaminated sediments, including the use of marine mattresses for simplified construction and protection in highly erosive conditions, eliminating the need for costly and thick sand caps. Case studies and analysis from top industry professionals will be included. Each attendee will be provided with a "Certificate of Professional Development". Note: Space is limited, so register soon. Learn more here.;

Duke Energy Carolinas will no longer pursue a plan to place up to three demonstration wind turbines in the Pamlico Sound. Instead, the company and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will refocus their collaboration to study and help enable large-scale offshore wind development on the ocean side of the North Carolina coast. Learn more here.;

Conventional scour protections for off-shore installations are difficult to install and secure. Currents complicate foundations, creating a situation in which the installation will not be stable in the long term. Deep foundations are prohibitively expensive. In the growing wind farm sector, the large, heavy turbines must be protected against the erosive effects normal and sudden, strong, storm-induced currents. A durable and effective alternative has been found for securing these off-shore turbines: NAUE Soft Rock®.

A New York City postal processing facility that was contaminated during the 2001 anthrax attacks is now the site of the largest "green roof" in Manhattan. The 65,000-square-foot roof area and other new energy-saving measures at the site have saved the Postal Service more than $1 million in energy expenses so far. The total installation cost roughly $5 million. Learn more here.;

With more than 100 presentations, numerous networking opportunities, and special sessions on today's hottest waste management topics, the Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) 2010 is a must-attend event. It will provide the forum for topics critical to the global waste community. GWMS 2010 will be held 3-6 October 2010 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio, Texas. Learn more.

The Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) provides the forum for topics critical to the global waste community. The GWMS has added an important session, "Applicability of USEPA Greenhouse Gas Rules to Landfills," enabling you to learn the timely information you need to know. GWMS 2010 will be held 3-6 October 2010 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio, Texas. The event will feature 105 educational oral and poster presentations. "Applicability of USEPA Greenhouse Gas Rules to Landfills" will be held on Monday, October 4.

The Geosynthetics Materials Association (GMA), in a formal response to the EPAs publication of a proposed rule aimed developing regulations to govern the storage of Coal Combustion Residuals (CCRs) has well supported the use of engineered geosynthetic lining systems as the most qualified measure of containment technology available today.

Indiana-based Firestone Specialty Products Company, LLC (FSSP) has collaborated with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Inc., Schmidt Associates, and The Athenaeum Foundation to build an environmentally friendly rain garden that serves dual purposes. "Mother Nature has a phenomenal way of cleaning up her surroundings, but she can only do so much," said Paul Oliveira, Specialty Products Systems Manager, FSSP. "We wanted to construct the rain garden as a demonstration of how we can assist and encourage a natural process." Read more.

The 3rd International Symposium on Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GBR-C 2k10) is almost here! Germany-based SKZ, with scientific committee support from France-based Cemagref and the United States-based Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), will host the event in Würzburg, Germany 15-16 September 2010. These sessions, which will explore a vast amount of GCL applications, research, and performance, will be held at the historic Fortress Marienberg. Dr. Jorge Zornberg, president of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), will open the conference.

Controlling scour at storm water pipe outlets can be difficult based on the turbulent nature of the discharging storm water. Take into account the often odd-shaped outlet dimensions, and product selection and installation can be difficult. Until recently, rock was used as the main source of scour control at pipe outfalls, but rock can be limiting in that it cannot offer a vegetated design and is often difficult to maintain. North American Greens ShoreMax™ soft revetment scour protection mat was introduced recently with the intended use of providing high-performance supplemental scour protection. Learn more.

TRI Geosynthetics Services has announced that a Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) Training Week will be held 4-6 November 2010 at Monash University and Extension, Melbourne, Australia. The schedule of events is as follows: 4 November 2010 -- "CQA of Geosynthetics" (including geomembranes, geotextiles, geocomposites, geogrids, geoappurtenances) -- Following this CQA training, a "mini trade show" will be held in the evening in combination with a reception. 5 November 2010 -- "CQA of Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCLs) and Compacted Clay Liners (CCLs)." 6 November 2010 -- Geosynthetic Certification Institute (GCI) CQA-ICP Certification Exam(s) offered. Learn more about how you can participate in the courses and trade show.

The closed A and L Salvage site in Lisbon, Ohio is nearly capped. With about 25 percent of the synthetic membrane or plastic cap in place, the 42-acre project is expected to be finished by the end of October. In addition to the 40-mil geomembrane, 18 inches of dirt and grass will cover the hillside with elevations between 80 to 100 feet. Learn more here.;

The Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea) is close to awarding the contract for a landmark water storage project that will create a three months emergency supply for the Emirate’s one million inhabitants. Three basins will be constructed, filled with gravel and topped with a ‘geotextile’ cover over a period of 30 months. The cover will prevent evaporation and contamination. When completed, the five meter deep basins will allow water to seep into the groundwater via PVC pipes. Learn more here.;

Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado once had a beautiful pond. But with the city under budget constraints, management of the pond was suspended. The water slowly drained back into the groundwater, leaving behind an empty pond bed. The city's parks and trails manager is evaluating the possibility of installing an EPDM pond liner, or perhaps some clay, but nothing will be considered until the money is available. It's possible that some late summer rain will relieve the parks of irrigation costs, and if so the money might be available to fix the pond. Learn more here.;

A lawsuit filed by the Yakama Nation and Heart of America Northwest Research Center in Washington State. The low-level radiation in waste needs to be covered, the edge of the proposed cap it has been discovered would likely extend beyond the site's 100 leased acres. A new approach will be needed. Learn more here.;

Mining operations in New Zealand are underbonded, many are complaining. Opponents of mining activities are even citing the low bonding issues as evidence of poor enviornmental controls. One project that has been cited is the Newmont Waihi Gold's final bond on the Martha open pit mine. It was capped at $10 million. Watchdogs contend it should have been $100 million, and if it had been it would have had more stringent controls such as geosynthetic liners on the tailings dam. It only has clay. Any environmental damage to the site greater than $10 million will have to be paid for by New Zealand government agencies. Learn more here.;

Mining operations in New Zealand are underbonded, many are complaining. Opponents of mining activities are even citing the low bonding issues as evidence of poor enviornmental controls. One project that has been cited is the Newmont Waihi Gold's final bond on the Martha open pit mine. It was capped at $10 million. Watchdogs contend it should have been $100 million, and if it had been it would have had more stringent controls such as geosynthetic liners on the tailings dam. It only has clay. Any environmental damage to the site greater than $10 million will have to be paid for by New Zealand government agencies. Learn more here.;

A new hydrogen sulfide gas collection system at the Sarpy County Landfill (Nebraska), expected to eliminate the foul smell that's plagued neighbors for years, is scheduled to be finished by late October. Blue Source/CII of Utah was hired by the county last year to install and operate the gas collection system, which includes several extraction wells and a main pipe. The nearly $1.5 million system comes at no cost to taxpayers. This is the latest step, following attempts to use synthetic covers over portions of the landfill. Learn more here.;

The International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) President Jorge Zornberg has sent out a message to inform IGS members that the new IGS Secretariat is Diana Davis. With her appointment comes a new address and phone number for the IGS office. Contact Diana Davis, Secretariat Manager, 605 Belvedere Rd., Suite #13, West Palm Beach, FL 33405 USA. Telephone +1 561 249 0088, E-Fax +1 561 828 7618, Email: IGSsec@geosyntheticssociety.org. Learn more here.;