Ground Improvement

Sprayroq’s biobased product SprayShield Green SG1 has been accepted for inclusion in the United States Department of Agriculture's BioPreferred program. Sprayroq is involved in the development of spray-applied polyurethane solutions for infrastructure rehabilitation, corrosion management and infiltration control. The company anticipates potential application for geotextiles. Learn more here.;

Knowing that the geomembrane rolls shipped to and being handled on site are exactly the ones linked to the original quality certificate is a very important issue. Geosynthetics are designed for specific functions, and the various formulations of products makes them specific to certain application uses. Solmax International ensures its project-specified and certified rolls are the ones on site with the use of a product-marking program. It enables project managers and engineers to link every roll to its quality certificate. Learn more here. Learn more here.;

The Nassau Harbor Port Improvement Project in the Bahamas is under way. Project dredging is being conducted to make room for the new Genesis class cruise ships, which are expected to arrive by the end of the year. Engineers report that an error in sediment-laden water was discharge in an area in which silt curtains had not been established. The mistake in silt management has been corrected. Learn more here.;

Artificial turf systems for horse-racing facilities are on the rise. For example, the Cushion Track system uses a mixture of sand, silica, and synthetic fibers (elastic, polyester, granulated rubber and polypropylene). It's installed at, among many, Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California. As the track is on break ahead of its November meet, track operators are guaranteeing continued performance of the racing surface and the separation geotextile by power-washing the geotextile. Officials want to be certain to prevent any clogging of the permeable layer. Learn more here.;

Technical textiles conferences, including discussions of geosynthetics, are on the rise in India. Significant effort is being made to increase awareness not only among users and potential users but among manufacturers, regulators, and many others. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Indian Ministry of Textiles are playing key roles. Learn more here.;

The Ministry of Textiles in India has launched TechnoTex (www.technotex.gov.in) to better promote the Indian technical textiles industry and to facilitate education in this ever expanding area of manufacturing. The website is divided into various zones, such as GeoTech (which includes the geosynthetic sector), BuildTech (for architectural uses) and AgroTech (for agriculture). Learn more here.;

Cooper Land Development, Inc., a luxury home development company headquartered in Rogers, Arkansas, has agreed to pay a civil penalty and implement a storm water compliance program at its construction sites to settle allegations that it violated the Clean Water Act, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. According to a consent decree filed today in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, Cooper Land Development has agreed to pay a $513,740 civil penalty to settle the allegations that it failed to properly manage construction site storm water runoff and implement erosion control at five of its housing developments located in Missouri, West Virginia and Arkansas. The penalty will be paid in four annual installments, plus interest, according to the consent decree.

A Michigan administrative law judge today affirmed the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality's (MDEQ) decision to issue two permits to the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company for its proposed Eagle nickel and copper mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The determination is the most recent in a series of favorable legal decisions, and moves the Eagle mine project closer to construction, which will require hundreds of local workers. The State Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules rejected the environmental challenges brought by the National Wildlife Federation, Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and the Huron Mountain Club to the MDEQ's issuance of state mine and water discharge permits.

Cell-Tek Geosynthetics, manufacturer of geo-cellular confinement systems, announces the launch of their new bonded aggregate system, Gravel-Lok. This innovative product is the ultimate solution to bond together a wide variety of aggregates including washed stone and pea gravel creating a permeable decorative pavement system without sacrificing the strength.

The new issue of Land and Water magazine includes Ian Peggs' article on geomembrane action leakage rates. He writes: "The objective of using a geomembrane liner in a potable water reservoir, a waste water treatment plant lagoon, a CAFO pond, or any other kind of liquid containment facility is, of course, to prevent loss of liquids which are obnoxious or valuable. Leaks are most undesirable, to say the least. But we have learned over the years that while non-leaking facilities can apparently be built, we should not rely on single liners to be totally impermeable, for nothing is." Read a PDF copy of the article from Land and Water.

Geosynthetics magazine editor Ron Bygness reports that the new magazine website will incorporate archives going back to 1998. This is excellent news. Thanks, Ron! Learn more here.;

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be holding a public meeting to discuss the start of the next round of the cleanup already underway at the Welsbach/Gas Mantle Superfund site in Camden County, New Jersey. The next properties EPA plans on cleaning up are the recreational areas along Johnson Boulevard. The properties include the Gloucester City Land Preserve, as well as two ball fields in Gloucester City. The public meeting will be held on Tuesday, 18 August 2009 at 7:00 pm at the Courthouse in Gloucester City Hall, located at 313 Monmouth Street. Read more.

In Chesley, Ontario, Geotubes are being used to dewatering sewage lagoons. It is the first cleaning of the lagoons in 25 years and the first municipal use of geosynthetic dewatering tubes in the Grey-Bruce region. This simple process uses permeable geotextile bags that retain solids while usable lagoon water leaks back into the facility. The Geotube brand is manufactured by TenCate. The Chesley project uses 100-ft-long, 30-ft-circumference tubes capable of holding 38,000 litres. Dewatering is being conducted by Eganville-based Bishop Water Technologies Inc. Other nearby communities are considering the same lagoon cleanup plan. Learn more here.;

A dispute between the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Washington State over who should manage the Bainbridge Island Superfund site has resulted in $3 million needing to be returned to the federal government. A deal on maintenance and long-term management could not be reached, thus forfeiting some of the money allotted in a recent stimulus package. Learn more here.;

In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, improve aging water and wastewater infrastructure and protect human health and the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $2,930,700 to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). This new infusion of money provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will help the state and local governments finance many of the overdue improvements to water projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment across the state.

Over at the AgNetwork, an article on water source management from Jane Parish, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist, Mississippi State University, has been posted. She writes, "...Geotextile fabric topped with gravel, concrete washout, etc., can provide a solid, stable surface for cattle around water troughs." Read more in the short article. Learn more here.;

JSC Gazprom Neft and SIBUR conducted a regular meeting of the working group on joint participation in promotion of polymer bitumen binders (PBB) substantially improving automobile roads' quality and lifespan. The participants of the meeting, involving representatives of JSC Soyuzdornii, discussed the issues of PBC production units launching and operating in the cities of Ufa (the Republic of Bashkiria), Bogoroditsk (the Tula Region) and Ivanteevka (the Moscow Region) in 2H2009. Production of PBB will be performed at the said units using DST-30-01 thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) produced by a SIBUR's subsidiary JSC Voronezhsintezkauchuk.

This week, word has come out that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), owners of the Kingston, Tennessee coal ash plant that failed in December 2008, will phase out wet coal ash storage at its many operations to further minimize risk of future environmental disasters. When the unlined, wet ash storage facility in Kingston broke, it released 5.4 million cubic yards of contaminated ash across 275 acres. The estimated cleanup cost, as announced in mid-February, was $525-$825 million. Today, the prevalent estimation is north of $1 billion. Read more.

Aquaculture production is up with the installation of pond liners. In some cases, production is dramatically improved (ie, 57 percent better). The Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery in North Dakota is set to receive close to $1 million in support from the federal stimulus funds for the installation of more pond liners. The fish are used throughout the Midwestern United States. Learn more here.;

The International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) has published its latest edition of IGS News. The semi-annual publication contains reports from some of the IGS' 30+ international chapters, event recaps from around the world, short course announcements, and much more. This issue is particularly interesting for its IGS Chapter-centered pieces. John Cowland gives a review of IGS Asia, Jorge Zornberg discusses Chapter growth and communication, and Joanna Borkowska announces IGS Poland. Read more about this issue and link to its PDF version on line.

TenCate Geosynthetics introduces Mirafi 1450BB specifically designed for unbonded concrete overlay applications. This new, innovative product provides an alternative solution to traditional asphalt bond breaker separation layers. Mirafi 1450BB bond breaker is a needle-punched nonwoven geotextile composed of polypropylene fibers, which are formed into a stable network such that the fibers retain their relative position for use as an interlayer for separating cementitious pavement layers. Mirafi 1450BB bond breaker is inert to biological degradation and resistant to naturally encountered chemicals, alkalis, and acids. Read more in the release.

The New Jersey-based newspaper, the Star Ledger, has posted an interesting video story about landfill construction. The 3-minute, 20-second video takes viewers from initial transfer and burial operations back to construction, including video of an active geosynthetic installation. Leachate collection and management and methane harvesting are also touched upon in the report. Watch it online. Learn more here.;

CISEC, Inc. has partnered with the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute (MTTI) to offer its certification and training program nationwide. "MTTI will facilitate national outreach for the CISEC program through our relationships with various national- and state-level organizations, like Local Technical Assistance Program centers and other professional organizations," said Ann Kitalong-Will, MTTI Training Coordinator. Read more in the release.

Applied Market Information (AMI) is offering a seminar titled "The World Plastics Industry" in Brussels, Belgium on 15 September 2009. The seminar will address global prospects, production rates, market conditions and more. AMI research director Andrew Reynolds writes on the event here.

Escambia County in Florida is very close to taking over the closure of the Saufley Landfill from current owners Louisiana Investment Group (LIG). LIG has reported it cannot maintain the site or cover the expected $5 million closure costs. Escambia is willing to take on the project as the construction of a nearby industrial park depends on the neighboring property being clean. Escambia will get the land for free and proceed with leachate collection controls, site preparation and the installation of a geosynthetic cap. Learn more here.;