Containment

North American Green's HydraMatriCx™ hydraulically-applied erosion control products have posted the best results ever published to date in large-scale slope protection tests by the American Association of State Highway Transportation Official's National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (AASHTO-NTPEP). HydraCX2™ Extreme Slope Matrix™ demonstrated an unprecedented 100% soil protection and HydraCM™ Steep Slope Matrix™ registered an outstanding 99.7% effectiveness in reducing soil erosion.

Ian Peggs writes, "We are seeing an increasing number of LIS specifications requiring 15,000,000 ft2 of experience within the previous 3 years. This is excessive and totally unnecessary; and, I suspect, only one company can comply. But, would you be getting an individual survey operator with that experience, or a company with several operators totaling that experience? LIS technology is far from rocket science and can be learned by anyone with common sense, patience, and a little understanding of electricity principles." Read more.

TIE Technologies, Inc., an information technology, smart logistics, and telemetrics company, today announces BP's escalation of TIE Technologies' previously submitted OilDam® Emergency Containment Proposal to field review by BP and U.S. Coast Guard. TIE Technologies' revised OilDam® proposal has been escalated to final technical engineering review by BP's Horizon Alternative Response Technology Team and is now under consideration for immediate field testing by the BP and U.S. Coast Guard Field Technical Operations Group.

The American Public Works Association (APWA) has spent the last few years with hands firmly on the reins of sustainability issues in the public works profession. Two key outreach efforts have come about as of this work between APWA's membership and leadership committees: the launch of the APWA Center for Sustainability and the APWA Sustainability in Public Works conference series. The opening eve of the conference, which is being held at the Hilton Minneapolis, gave us an excellent opportunity to say hello to one another. A registration and welcome reception was held in the exhibit hall.

Critical applications such as maritime spill containment require materials that will stand up to rough weather and harsh climates. Cooley manufactures a wide variety of quality fabrics engineered specifically for the oil boom industry; one is just right for your application. Currently, Cooley's oil boom technology is deployed in the Gulf of Mexico to help contain the BP oil spill. Learn more here.;

Solmax International has posted a letter with two new email addresses to help facilitate communication with its international client base. The letter notes: "From now, you can send your requests/ comments/ claims directly to the following email address: For any clients located in the Asian and Pacific Area: customersatisfactionasia@solmax.com. For any clients elsewhere: customersatisfaction@solmax.com." Read more.

While bioreactor landfills can be a very beneficial and successful endeavor, Cumberland County, New Jersey has experienced one contracting mishap after another. Companies have won bids and gone out of business. Another has shuttered its waste management division--without completing its contracted work. It's an unfortunate case for what was once a hopeful project and involves some good companies too; but the overall situation has been extraordinarily unlucky. Learn more here.;

Those bright orange, yellow and red oil-containment booms you see on the news symbolize the fight against the unfolding environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The question is: Will there be enough to go around? As reports have painfully documented, nobody prepared for an accident of this magnitude. No one set aside a massive stockpile of booms. Learn more here.;

Tri-Tech Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIT), a leading total solutions provider to China's water resources, municipal wastewater and industrial pollution control markets, said today that Mr. Phil Fan, President, will present at the Brean Murray, Carret & Co. 2010 Global Resources & Infrastructure Conference to be held on Monday, 14 June 2010 at The Park Hyatt Hotel Zurich in Switzerland.

Each year, Geosynthetica participates in a number of conferences. Participation may include exhibiting, presentations (or paper co-authorship), session coordination and attendance. Also, Geosynthetica serves as a media partner or cooperating organization to many of these events. Some of these forthcoming events are briefly noted in this roundup article.

The Swazi Observer reports that the Simunye Landfill construction is finished and being put into operation. The facility's design is guided by South African Minimum Requirements. This includes a double-lined leachate collection pond (HDPE and compact clay) with leak detection monitoring. The first phase's cell is designed fo 10 years of service. Another three cells of the same size may be constructed on the site as needed. More design details are included in the Observer's story. Learn more here.;

A five-year review of all of the Commonwealth of Virginia's Erosion and Sediment Control (ESC) local programs has shown both good compliance and, where compliance is lacking, quick action to come into compliance. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) indicates that 94.5 percent of the locally administered programs were consistent with state law. Learn more here.;

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has published its June 2010 Country Analysis Brief. The current focus is on Egypt. Egypt is a significant oil producer and a rapidly growing natural gas producer. The Suez Canal and Sumed Pipeline are strategic routes for Persian Gulf oil shipments, making Egypt an important transit corridor for world oil markets. Learn more here.;

During the 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG), which was held in May 2010 in Brazil, the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) announced results of its most recent election cycle. The IGS Council met so that the expiring council could conclude business and hand over control to the new council, which welcomed both new and returning council members. This includes both those elected and those co-opted.

At the recent 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9th ICG) held in Guarujá Brazil the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) Council marked the beginning of a new Council term. At the General Assembly the officers and council members elected to serve for the 2010-2014 term were announced and officially took office.

Register today and join your colleagues in the variety of activities that the Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) offers: educational sessions, table top exhibits, landfill tour, receptions, networking functions, and the GWMS golf outing. This year's Keynote Presenter is Thomas Christensen. He'll provide an international perspective on waste disposal trends. New Technical Session topics this year include: Waste-based energy; Recycling and Waste Diversion; Solar Cell applications. Learn more about the October 2010 conference.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a guidance document describing approaches that can help communities explore adaptive, innovative stormwater management techniques. The guide, "Green Infrastructure in Arid and Semi-Arid Climates," provides many environmental, social, and economic benefits of green infrastructure in order to reduce runoff, conserve water, recharge groundwater, conserve energy and improve air quality in water-limited areas. Learn more here.;

Oil and gas company Williams has been struggling with pit liner code changes that would require the landfilling of liners--only much of the company's operations have been in a county which lacks a landfill that will accept the liners. The company sought alternative uses and found an intriguing one: the nonwoven geotextile cushion and geomembrane are separated, and then they are sent to facilities in Utah and Colorado to be converted into asphalt and non-food grade plastics. Learn more here.;

At the 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG), held in Brazil in late May, Gary Ng was recognized as the winner of the International Geosynthetics Society's (IGS) first-ever photo competition. His shot of the NENT Landfill Expansion (Hong Kong) is certainly an impressive representation of the scale on which geosynthetics are being used today. See his work and other images submitted to the competition on the IGS website. Learn more here.;

Some of Houston's most influential engineers are seeking public support for an $8 billion, 20-year project intended to put an end to the flooding that has dogged the city in recent years. If voters sign off on the plan, property taxes and other fees would be used to improve drainage and roadway systems across the city. Learn more here.;

Going green has environmental benefits, but until now there has been little data to show how retrofitting buildings with greener technologies can save energy and money. Now, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation is financing the creation of a database of hundreds of retrofitted buildings in New York. "The largest obstacle to making these practices go mainstream is data that will convince building owners to retrofit their properties," said Gary Hattem, foundation president. Learn more here.;

On May 28, SWANA's International Board of Directors approved the following statement concerning the recent report The Importance of Landfill Gas Capture and Utilization in the U.S. After review by the International Board of Directors and Technical Divisions, SWANA concludes that this report presents a valid representation of the state-of-the-art of landfill gas capture and recovery as practiced in the U.S.

Sika AG has acquired a majority stake in Dyflex HD Co., Ltd., Japan. Dyflex is the market leader in liquid waterproofing in Japan with well established brands and channels. The consolidated net sales in 2009 were approximately JPY 14 billion (about CHF 165 million) with around 350 employees. This acquisition enables Sika to take a big step forward into the Japanese construction chemical market.

CETCO is proud to announce the hiring of Steve Skinner to the position of Technical Service Manager, Green Roofs. Steve joins CETCO with over 7 years experience as a green roof product manager and horticultural specialist. In his new role, Steve will be responsible for the management and execution of CETCO's GreenScapes green roof program. Read more in the release.

A 22,000-ton, 22-year-old pile of PCB-contaminated soil sits in west Toronto beneath a triple-layered geosynthetic cap. It is one of 23 similar sites across Ontario. The Star has published a piece about the PCB issue in Ontario and included an image of Toronto's large pile as seen from Google Earth. Learn more here.;