Containment

On September 15, 2010, Propex Operating Company, LLC filed suit against Western Excelsior Corporation in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The lawsuit filed alleges both Patent and Trade dress infringement as well as Unfair Competition by Western Excelsior. Propex is seeking an injunction and damages.

An Elk Mound, Wisconsin dairy operation has been selected to receive the 2010 Environmental Excellence Award by the Dairy Business Association. Five Star Dairy, LLC received the honor during World Dairy Expo this week for its outstanding waste and pollution prevention projects that protect Wisconsin's natural resources. The farm has installed a manure lagoon cover to keep out water and enable digester production in the future. Learn more here.;

The United States Army Corps of Engineers controls more than 14,000 miles of levees. An additional 85,000+ miles of levees are privately owned and operated. To help improve strategies...

Sarah McCubbin-Cain has shared with Geosynthetica a letter sent to Virginia-based members of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO). There, the state senate has passed legislation that may lead to dam failures by allowing non-compliant facilities to continue to operate. ASDSO asks for help in stopping this new legislation.

For communities dependent upon fishing for their economic health in Malaysia, the monsoon season can be a serious challenge. It takes away up to three months of income each year. But a new indoor aquaculture plan will allow year-round fish farming, with the aquaculture operations supplementing the wild catch operations. Learn more here.;

In his final report from the 3rd International Conference on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, I-CORP International's Ian Peggs recaps the day's contributions, from Patrick Fox's opening keynote lecture to Peter Davies' review of GIGSA standards from South Africa. Other presentations dealt with GCL shear tests, material "greenness" versus compacted clay liners, ion exchange, deformation in puncture tests, and more. Read Ian's write-up here.

The International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) continues to rally its individual and corporate members around the Turkish Chapter of the IGS. After the June 28 attack at Istanbul’s international airport,...

On August 22, CETCO will hold its next "GCL University" session in Southern California. This day-long geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) seminar will be held at the Costa Mesa Marriott and will focus on methodologies for the practical inclusion of GCLs in the design of landfill cells and caps, mining, coal combustion residual sites and other industrial applications. Expert speakers include Dr. Ed Kavazanjian, Rick Thiel, P.E., Chris Athanassopoulos, P.E., and Joanne Lee. Register online. Learn more here.;

ASTM International's Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced work item WK33069, "Standard Specification for Non Reinforced PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) Geomembrane Seams." It is a work item revision to existing standard D7408-08. The specification for 50 and 60 mil PVC for shear was greater than 80% of the material strength; a proposal has been made to change the numbers back to the industry standard. Learn more here.;

The Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC) has re-designed its newsletter under the leadership of Scott Nelson of Geo-Synthetics Inc. The newsletter reflects the new direction ECTC has taken with this group. Within the past two years, ECTC has expanded the types of products it represents to include hydraulically applied erosion control products and sediment retention fiber rolls (also known as wattles). The latest initiative ECTC has implemented is the Quality Data Oversight Review (QDOR) program. More information about QDOR and the work being done by ECTC can be found in the newsletter, courtesy of ECTC managing director Laurie Honnigford.

Geofabrics Australasia has developed a suite of videos that explain various standardized tests on geosynthetics. While these videos focus specifically on Australian standards, they are highly applicable to testing...

Geovic Mining Corp. ("Geovic" or "the Company"), on behalf of its 60.5%-owned subsidiary Geovic Cameroon PLC, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Phillip R. Mason as General Manager of Geovic Cameroon PLC. Mr. Mason is a 30-year mining industry veteran, including 20 years experience in Africa. The Nkamouna Project has an approved Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA) in conformity with both Cameroon regulations and international environmental standards. The new tailings facility incorporates a two-celled, fully engineered containment system. The acidic leach tailings will be stored in a separate tailings cell with a geosynthetic liner, isolating the leach tailings from the inert physical upgrade tailings.

More than 400,000 cubic meters of containment soil has been removed Toronto's TTC Light Rail Train Yard. The $51-million (including taxes) soil remediation and soil capping project involves rammed aggregate piers and a GCL-lined temporary sediment-control pond, among other site solutions. Learn more here.;

The Middle East is investing heavily in innovative farming methods in a bid to reduce growing dependence on the rest of the world for up to 90% of food needs, say the organisers of the region’s biggest agri-business trade event. Running for more than 10 years, AGRA Middle East at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 29-31 March 2010 is regarded as a must visit event by the agribusiness industry of the region. Learn more here.;

The Gulf region is growing as the world's hub for plastics development with the right ingredients of location between current and future large plastics demand centers, the hydrocarbon resource base and proximity to markets, a senior industry official said recently. Learn more here.;

The International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) Technical Committee on Barriers (TC-B), in partnership with the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), has launched a database to track global guidelines and regulations that govern...

Leister Technologies AG, a worldwide leader in plastic welding and hot air equipment, has announced that U.S.-based calibration and repair services for its EXAMO tensiometers is now available through Leister USA in Chicago. Yearly recalibration is normally required for all tensile-testing devices in the geosynthetics and civil engineering industries. The new services through Leister USA will enable North American customers to remain compliant with these requirements, while reducing costs and downtime during tensiometer updates.

The International Geosynthetics Society has published its latest issue of IGS News (Volume 33, Issue #2), and with the email announcement of the PDF issue’s availability is word of...

Masterpak recently installed 12,000 m2 of geosynthetics, including AGRU geomembrane liners, at an irrigation lake in Qattara, Jbeil, Lebanon. The polyethylene (PE) film manufacturer's team successfully completed the large project in less than one week, working under unfavorable weather conditions.

Black & Veatch's 2012 Electric Utility Report, which summarizes a broad survey of the energy field, indicates that the industry believes "...there will be some certainty [in terms of legisation] on carbon; that prices for electricity will continue to rise; that while coal has a future, renewables have a growing but limited one; and that water is a critical environmental concern." Concerns over nuclear storage have grown, and the potential impact of renewable energy technologies on energy prices (already upwardly pressured) ranges wildly. Download the 74-page report (PDF).

The 5th Asian Regional Conference on Geosynthetics--Geosynthetics Asia 2012--will be held 10-14 December 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand. IGS Thailand will host and the event will be held under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). The deadline for submission of abstract to GA2012 is 31 May 2011. Download an information sheet in PDF. Learn more here.;

Construction of the New Rail Alpine Crossing (NEAT) project represents a further step in regard to Switzerland's integration in the growing European high-speed network. The core is the Gotthard base tunnel, which at 35.4 miles will be the longest rail tunnel in the world. This massive project involves more than 620 miles of welded geosynthetic panels. Technology from LEISTER is being utilized to ensure the seam strength. Read more from Christophe von Arx and Norbert Tholl.

GeoAmericas 2012 marks the Second Pan-American Geosynthetics Conference and Exhibition. It will be held 1-4 May 2012 in Lima, Peru under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). Organizers have announced that the Early-Bird Room Rates for the venue hotel (Westin Libertador Hotel) have been extended until 15 February 2012. Reserve your room today and get the best rate at this key Latin American infrastructure event. Learn more here.;

Golder Associates Corporation ("Golder") has become one of the founding sponsors of the World Ocean Council, an international, cross-sectoral industry alliance for private sector leadership and collaboration in ocean stewardship. The company, which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2010, has joined the World Ocean Council to share its experiene in serving clients in the offshore oil and gas industry as well as the circum-Arctic region.

GeoAfrica 2009 marks the first African regional conference on geosynthetics. Held under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) and hosted by the Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA)--a chapter of IGS--the September 2009 Cape Town conference seeks abstracts and proposals. Deadline for receipt of 350-word abstracts is 30 Septmber 2008. Geosynthetica encourages its readers to get involved with this historic event. Visit the abstract submission page. Learn more here.;