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Whenever you are in the Phoenix area, do not miss eating at Tarbell's at 3213 East Camelback Road. Reservations are essential (phone 602-955-8100), and ensure you get one of Nader's tables. Send any other good eating tips to lara@geosynthetica.net. Learn more here.;

www.intnews.com. International Newsletters publishes newsletters, magazines and reports (included are Technical Textiles .Net and Performance Materials) and organises conferences and other events in the fields of advanced, high-performance and industrial materials. Learn more here.;

Maro Patent Alerts compiled by Roger D. Corneliussen. Maro reviews the US Patents published weekly and copies the patent numbers and titles to Alerts messages.

Download geosynthetica's VIP Floor Pass (pdf) for complimentary admittance to the Geo-Frontiers show floor, field demonstrations, and Terzaghi Lecture!

Strategic partnership of two industry leaders to provide expanded product offerings and support to customers. Atlanta, GA – September 27, 2004 – The Tensar Corporation, the leading U.S. manufacturer of high performance polymeric products, announced the acquisition of North American Green, a premier provider of rolled erosion control products. The closing was finalized September 24…

The July 15 deadline for the 2004 International Achievement Awards competition is quickly approaching. Geosynthetic materials currently have just one category in the competition, yet the field deserves more. Submit your company's projects and help promote our profession. Members of the Industrial Fabrics Assocation International (IFAI) and the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) qualify for special member benefits, such as six free competition entries if entries are received by May 1, 2004. A later deadline of July 15, 2004 is also available. For more information, download the competition PDF at the link below.

After seventeen annual stand-alone conferences we are breaking with tradition by incorporating GRI-18 into the upcoming Geo-Frontiers Conference in Austin, Texas. As we hope you are aware Geo-Frontiers is a joint Geo-Institute/Geosynthetic Materials Association (G-I/GMA) activity set for January 24-26, 2005. Our activity in this regard is to embed GRI-18 into the last day of the main conference, i.e., on Wednesday, January 26, 2005. We plan for something quite new and admittedly bold; let us explain…

The forum, Geosynthetics in Engineering : Moving Towards New Application Practices, was held in Quebec City, Canada, on February 11-12, 2004, and gathered about 150 participants. Cont'd 2/16/04 The 2-day conference was about geosynthetics applications to road construction & rehabilitation and environmental applications - Barry Christopher, Dave Suits, George Koerner, Andre Rollin, Bob Denis, Eric Blond and others presented excellent papers. Abstracts to follow shortly. A short report from Terrafix's Bruno Herlin follows: "Being in attendance for only one day of a two day event at the Forum Geosynthetics 2004 Conference in Quebec City organized by Sageos, my observations and comments as a delegate to this forum was that organizers at Sageos put together a list of speakers, papers, and information which would rival any industry related conference on geosynthetics. The quality of the presentations provided at this forum was very informative and top notch. It offered all those in attendance an added update on the industry and provided everyone with items to add to their own personal bag of tricks to use for upcoming projects requiring geosynthetic solutions. As per George Koerner's comment during his presentation 'Geosynthetics…they can do the job, they have shown that they work, we as engineers and designers would have to be negligent not to use them'. This statement got everyone's blood flowing in the room. The forum was presented in both official languages. A complete package of the forum can be purchased from Sageos, however a package doesn't replace the added information which was supplied from a list of highly educated presenters put together for this forum. The added benefit of this forum in particular is the small venue atmosphere, an atmosphere which other geosynthetics conferences should follow. The small venue offered an atmosphere where all can communicate to exchange information, something which is lacking when conferences are held in large venues. Not to be missed, are future forums to be presented by Sageos later this year. From Quebec City signed, Bruno Herlin, P.Eng. Project Engineer, Terrafix Geosynthetics Inc."

The 2004 IAA entry brochure is now available. IFAI looks forward to recieving entries for the "best of the best" of the geosynthetic industry.

Seeking geosynthetics CQA monitor (NICET Level 3 or equivalent) with some soils CQA experience for several year full time project in SE USA . Please send experience details to lara@geosynthetica.net.

It was suggested in Sardinia that it might be useful to establish an informal group to discuss technologies for remotely repairing liners under waste and liquids. If you would like to participate in such a group please contact elizabeth@geosynthetica.net or icorp@geosynthetic.com. There is already interest in the USA, Canada, Japan, Korea, South Africa, and Slovakia.

The Geosynthetic Materials Association's (GMA) Environmental Focus Group was formed to provide a forum and the opportunity to have constructive conversations about how the industry can work together on the perception of the industry and its products. Its most recent effort is the newly established Water Management Task Group. This notice is to make you aware of our efforts and to invite you to participate in the first full meeting, scheduled for April 29, 2003, Atlanta, GA.

Geosynthetic Construction Concerns - A series of actual installation photographs that illustrate what not to do on an installation - too bad we didn't get to these folks sooner!

The Kentucky Locks Addition story began when the United States Army Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with the Tennessee Valley Authority, recommended an additional lock be built adjacent to the existing lock located at river mile 22.4 on the Tennessee River, at Kentucky Lake Dam, in western Kentucky. US62/641 and a section of the P&L Railroad currently carry vehicular and rail traffic across the crest of the earthen Kentucky Lake Dam. The roadway and railroad will require relocation to the downstream side of the dam in order to expand the lock.

International Newsletters is pleased to announce the publications of a new report. The report looks at company initiatives, strategies, current and future objectives, new product development programmes, capital expenditure plans, geographical market expansion and much more. If you order immediately, you can benefit from a special prepublication discount of more than 10%

Looking for a job in geosynthetics? Send us some details - experience, what you are looking for and where to: elizabeth@geosynthetica.net. We have been asked if we know available people. Your information will be held in the strictest of confidence.

The Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA), a chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), has announced that founding member and industry veteran Kim Barnard has passed away. Learn more here.;

Learn how to solve problems and save money using geosynthetics with the Geosynthetics Conference 2001 proceedings. These proceedings are a necessary resource for golf course designers, landfill owners, road construction contractors, consulting firms, government agencies and any individual that will benefit from learning of the economics, performance and contractibility of geosynthetics. Available in Volume with CD-ROM. Contact: Industrial Fabrics Association International - +1-800-225-2508

The Sardinia Waste Management and Landfill Conference, 2001 is scheduled for 1-5 October '01. Abstracts of 1 - 2 pages are required by 15 November 00 to: Prof. R. Cossu IMAGE Department, University of Padua, Via Loredan 20 - 35131 Padova (Italy) Themes include; Landfill Design & Construction; Barrier Performance; Landfill Operational Problems; Remediation of Old Landfills. Contact: eurowaste@tin.it or visit

October 18-20 in Nashville, TN, USA. Papers will be grouped into the following categories: Fibers and Compounds, Measurement and Testing, Coating and Finishing, Performance Enhancements, Fabric Manufacturing, Architecture/Construction and Geotexiles. The abstract must be in English, one type-written page approximately 300 words. Maximum of one additional page of supporting data and only submitted by fax or hard copy mail. Deadline for abstract Submission is February 1, 2001. For further information contact: Jill Rutledge - +1-651-225-6981 (vox), 631-9334 (fax) jmrutledge@ifai.com

Made available by PGI (PVC Geomembrane Institute), the paper titled PVC Geomembranes for Large Evaporation Ponds, authored by Dominic Berube, Patrick Diebel, Andre Rollin, and Timothy D. Stark is now accessible on-line.