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About 3.4 billion people around the world reside in areas with an insecure supply of fresh water because of scarcity, pollution and "engineering palliatives" used to protect drinking water resources, according to U.S. researchers. The identification of a "planetwide pattern of threat" underscores the need for governments to bolster water-management strategies that involve infrastructure and the preservation of watersheds, wetlands and flood plains. Learn more here.;

Federal and local officials celebrated today the completion of the third largest green roof in the District, a $1.1 million project funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Sitting atop the World Wildlife Fund headquarters in Northwest D.C., the 27,750 square feet of green roof will help reduce stormwater runoff to nearby Rock Creek and bring additional benefits to the urban environment.

Engineers are working on a huge water-diversion project designed to carry water from China's wet southern regions to Beijing and the country's parched north. The $62 billion project will essentially replumb the entire country by creating a huge network of canals, tunnels and aqueducts, in what experts say would be an engineering feat of almost unprecedented audacity. "This is on a par with the Great Wall, a project essential for the survival of China," said the project manager. Learn more here.;

A 33-acre park in Westland, Michigan's is being remediated from lead contamination in the soil. Phase I involves work on 12 acres. Crews have had to remove all of the trees on-site to allow for excavation, installation of a geotextile barrier layer, and the addition of 12 inches of top soil. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment has worked with the city on the plan. Learn more here.;

GAF Materials Corporation, North America's largest roofing manufacturer, recently announced plans to reopen its state-of-the-art Gainesville, TX thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) manufacturing facility in January 2011. The 185,000 square foot facility is the largest operational production line in North America devoted solely to the manufacture of TPO-based single-ply membrane roofing products and will produce GAF's EverGuard® TPO roofing membranes and accessories.

Trelleborg invites analysts, investors and media to a Capital Markets Day on November 24, 2010, at Berns Salonger Berzelii Park (Näckströmsgatan 8), in Stockholm, Sweden. If you have questions, contact Trelleborg Corporate Communications at the following e-mail address marie.linse@trelleborg.com or telephone Marie Linse at +46 410 670 38. Learn more.

After two years of disruptions, residents in the southwestern Wales industrial town of Port Talbot now have one of their busiest roads back. A roadway reinforcement project utilized geotextile separation fabric as a key part of the rebuild. The A4107 roadway suffered a partial collapse in 2008. Learn more here.;

After five years, the cleanup operations at the Foote Mineral federal Superfund site in East Whiteland, Pennsylvania is coming to a conclusion. Site crews have finished installing a 10-acre geosynthetic cap to seal off the old lithium tailings and other pollutants. Because of concerns with root penetration into the cap, trees and shrubs will be avoided. Instead, a 2MW solar farm is planned. A brownfield's grant has already provided roughly $2.5 million towards the site reuse plan. Learn more here.;

AMCOL International Corporation (NYSE: ACO) today announced it has exercised its option to purchase the remaining 47% interest in a holding company that owns a chromite mine in the Republic of South Africa from Chrome Corporation for US$12.4 million. AMCOL is required to transfer a 26% interest in the mine to a South African Black Economic Empowerment Enterprise, after which AMCOL will hold a 74% interest in the mine. Chromite ore is a feedstock used to produce chrome sand. AMCOL currently markets chrome sand to the metalcasting industry. AMCOL is the parent of CETCO, an expert company in geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) and other containment and remediation technologies.

On 14 October 2010, Ian D. Peggs, PhD, PE of I-CORP International will conduct a one-day seminar and workshop on geoelectric liner leak location and liner integrity surveys in Laramie, Wyoming. The workshop, "Leaks in Geomembrane Liners: Their Significance and Methods for Locating Them," is co-sponsored by Solid Waste Professionals of Wyoming, Peak GeoSolutions, and Trihydro Corporation. Learn more and register online.

Construction of the $3.6 billion Hope Relief Canal is set to begin next month, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud said on Friday. The Hope Relief Canal has been plugged as a viable option for managing water in the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) and avoid the need to drain water through the Maduni and Lama sluices. The third part of the project was for the supply of geotextile material for the Construction of the EDWC and the associated drainage. Learn more here.;

Leister is proud to present a wide range of its enormous portfolio at its spacious exhibition stand at the triennial K-Messe. Visitors can come and see products from the areas of plastic welding, process heat and laser systems. K 2010, one of the world's premier events for the plastics and rubber industry, will be held 27 October - 3 November 2010 in Düsseldorf, Germany. It attracts roughly 250,000 visitors and more than 3,000 exhibitors. Read more about some of the technologies Leister will have on display.

The Green Building Council's LEED program has taken the U.S. construction sector by storm, but critics say the system is fundamentally flawed. By basing certification on projected energy savings rather than actual energy use, they say, LEED lets companies claim credit for savings that are never actually realized. "LEED certification has never depended on actual energy use, and it's not going to," says energy-efficiency expert Henry Gifford. "You can use as much energy as you want and report it and keep your plaque." Learn more here.;

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed microscopic solar cells that mimic the way plant cells create energy from sunlight. These solar cells are longer lasting and more efficient than static photovoltaic cells and are able to repair themselves, just like plant cells do, when they are damaged by extended exposure to the sun. Learn more here.;

The Canyon Creek Irrigation District manages the water in the Bitterroot National Forest, which covers parts of Montana and Idaho. A sinkhole at a wilderness dam's embankment has caused considerable concern. The U.S. Forestry Service has approved an emergency repair (skipping the public approval process) using bentonite to fill the hole and an impermeable liner on the dam's facing. Materials are being flown in. Learn more here.;

Ian D. Peggs, PhD, PE of I-CORP International will conduct a one-day seminar and workshop on the subject of geoelectric liner leak location and liner integrity surveys. The workshop, to he held October 14, 2010 in Laramie, Wyoming, is co-sponsored by Solid Waste Professionals of Wyoming, Peak GeoSolutions and Tri-Hydro Corporation. Topics will include an overview of the geoelectric technique; a discussion of allowable leakage rates; designing for leak location; leak location as an integral part of geomembrane CQA and a brief discussion of alternate leak location methodologies. The seminar is open to solid waste regulatory agencies and MSW landfill operators as well as operators of industrial waste sites, wastewater treatment facilities, consultants to these industries and, in fact, anyone who uses geomembrane for containment. Additional information can be obtained by contacting Bill Hensley @ 307-554-0982. Learn more here.;

Crews are blasting through the Alps as they work to build what will be the world's longest tunnel, the Gotthard Base Tunnel between Zurich, Switzerland, and Milan, Italy. The 35-mile tunnel will host trains running through the Alps. "For such a huge project, you have to construct from different sites, because if you start at one portal and then on the other end, you need 20 or more years for the construction of the entire system," said Heinz Ehrbar, chief construction officer with contractor AlpTransit. Learn more here.;

A new report is calling for additional investment in the nation's transportation network, particularly in rural highways. According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, rural highways could use a $600 billion injection to boost their capacity and improve safety.

ASTM International's work item WK30113, "Standard Test Method for Apparent Hoop Tensile Strength of Plastic or Reinforced Plastic Pipe by Split Disk Method," is a work item revision to existing standard D2290-08 from Committee F17 on Plastic Piping Systems. Learn more here.;

Hock Seng Lee Bhd (HSL), Sarawak-based infrastructure and marine engineering specialist, has secured a new project in Tanjung Manis worth RM47.1 million. The route will traverse low-lying coastal terrain and involves two reinforced concrete bridges and several culverts over minor waterways. The swampy soil conditions will necessitate extensive reclamation and geotechnical engineering works including use of a significant amount of geotextile fabric and piling. Learn more here.;

International news network CNN has published an iReport on water preservation in Pakistan with the help of geomembrane containment technology. The story takes a peek at work performed by the Sukaarr Foundation Trust (SFT), an organization that has launched rainwater harvesting projects in Pakistan. The SFT is a non-governmental organization and has used geomembranes in the creation of lined ponds to halt the problematic seepage that has characterized and plagued so many community water sources. Learn more here.;

The American Wind Energy Association has announced that with only 700 MW added in the second quarter of 2010, wind power installations to date this year have dropped by 57% and 71% from 2008 and 2009 levels, respectively. Manufacturing investment also continues to lag below 2008 and 2009 levels. AWEA and a broad coalition of renewable energy, labor, utility, and environmental organizations are calling on Congress with an urgent appeal to put in place a strong national renewable electricity standard to spur demand for renewable energy, attract manufacturing investment, and save and create jobs. Learn more here.;

India is digging a huge tunnel to bypass a treacherous Himalayan mountain pass known locally as "Pile of Corpses." The $320 million project is expected to take 5 years to complete and will create a five-mile tunnel buried a mile deep beneath the mountain range's snow-covered rocks. "Once this tunnel is complete, it will be an engineering marvel for the whole nation," said P.K. Mahajan, the project's chief engineer. Learn more here.;

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment has approved Phase I plans for the restoration of Central City Park in Westland. Bids are about to be released. The park has been closed since November 2006 after lead contamination levels in the soils were deemed too great. The site's transformation will include a geotextile cover over contaminated zones. Thirty-three of the park's 64 acres will be involved in the creation of new fields, paths, and a pavilion. Learn more here.;

Kianoosh Hatami and Brian Grady have applied for a patent regarding a "Sensor-Enabled Geosynthetic Material and Method of Making and Using the Same." Published 22 July 2010, and with application number 20100180691, the sensor-enabled geosynthetic material includes a polymeric material and an electrically conductive filler. Read more. Learn more here.;