Ground Improvement

Republic may soon take over the Mecham Road landfill in Sonoma County. The company has a proposal on the table to purchase the site contingent upon the landfill's continued use by area residents. Costs would scarcely change, and Republic would be in a much better position to construct future cells with the expertise and proper lining and drainage management technologies that otherwise come with a price tag most municipalities and counties have difficulty approving funds for. Learn more here.;

IECA's Annual Photo Contest is an opportunity to gain visibility and share your accomplishments (or bloopers!) with the erosion and sediment control community. Entries will be displayed on the website and enlarged to be showcased at EC10 in Dallas, Texas, where voting will take place and ribbons will be awarded.The contest is FREE - so send in those pictures! Learn more here.;

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has begun distribution of a draft Environmental Impact Statement regarding a proposal by P4 Production LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON), to open one of North America's most environmentally advanced phosphate mines. It will provide elemental phosphorus used in making the world's leading agricultural herbicide and other important products. Laminated geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) will be used to cover selenium waste rock piles.

The Hutt Valley in New Zealand is receiving the area's first totally modern, lined landfill. The Class A landfill is almost complete and waste will soon be buried there. Located along a waterway, it's the most advanced cell construction in the region. A second cell phase is planned for four years from now, with additional cell space demand to be evaulated yearly thereafter. Learn more here.;

Geosynthetics magazine, published by the Industrial Fabrics Association International, has launched a new website. The revamped design includes a cleaner presentation and more interactive content, such as a blog from editor Ron Bygness. Learn more here.;

East Coast Erosion Blankets, LLC, a leading manufacturer of erosion control blankets, has expanded its product line by adding the ECP-3™, a heavy-duty triple net polypropylene Turf Reinforcement Mat (TRM). The ECP-3™ is manufactured with 100% green polypropylene fiber and three ultra-heavy weight polypropylene nets securely sewn together with UV stabilized thread. Under modified ASTM 6460 test method, the product has been able to withstand in unvegetated conditions a maximum flow velocity in excess of 15 feet per second with a maximum permissible shear stress of 5 pounds square foot. Read more about it.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched an online discussion forum to receive public input on the future direction of EPA's national water enforcement program. The public will be able to provide feedback through the EPA Web site, between now and August 28, giving them a forum to address any concerns about EPA's efforts to protect the water in their communities. Read more in the release.

North Dakota's Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery is getting $920,000 in federal stimulus money to invest in pond liners. In the Associated Press article, the manager of the hatchery cites the incredible fish production increase they've seen with liners: walleye production up 18 percent and northern pike production up 57 percent. Water conservation plus easier to clean ponds is a major improvement. Learn more here.;

Officials for the extensive PCB removal project along the lower Fox River report that the endeavor is ahead of schedule, though a conclusion before 2017 is not expected. Dredging, dewatering and hauling contaminated sediment continues with little interruption or delay. Only three months in, some portions of the river bottom are already to be capped. Geosynthetics are playing a significant role in dewatering and capping. Learn more here.;

Near Queenstown, New Zealand, ancient landslip soil and rock has become exposed. Heavy rains have begun swift erosion, and road crews, protecting Moonlight Track, had to bring down 90 - 100 tons of rocks that overhung an access road. The rock, while appearing stable, crumbled quickly when crews began their work. A temporary tarpaulin has been installed over the danger zone, and a long-term geotextile cover and protection scheme is being designed. Learn more here.;

In July, India-based FICCI helped organize a conference in Mumbai titled "Geo-synthetics : Opportunities and Challenges." The conference discussions pointed out needs in the Indian market, such as material testing facilities throughout the country, greater standardization, increased specification awareness, and much more. Read about it here.

Building a trail across the Dublin Mountains is no easy task, but a dedicated band of volunteers in Mountain Meitheal are actually attempting to link Tallaght and Shankill across the wooded terrain. And they're making the trail long-lasting by installing a geotextile separation and soil stabilization fabric beneath trail aggregate of local stones and sand. Learn more here.;

The SIBUR's subsidiary OJSC Orton has conducted a ceremonial launch of new flat geogrid (geonet) manufacture facility under the Aprolat trademark. Operation of this new plant will secure for the SIBUR 13% share in this market segment. The design capacity of the plant is 3 thousand tons per year. Despite of economic difficulties, SIBUR has completed the investment project that will help it to reduce imports of construction materials and provide domestic consumers with competitive products. Read more.

Marchmont News, a daily, bi-lingual publication (Russian and English), reports that SIBUR Holding is investing $48 million in new geonet production in Kemerova and Orton. It is unclear from either SIBUR's official release or Marchmont's article whether geonets--for drainage--or geogrids--for reinforcement--are actually to be produced. Company comments in their official release would indicate higher-end geogrids are being produced. Learn more here.;

SKZ, with scientific committee support from Cemagref and the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), announces the 3rd International Symposium on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, to be held at the Fortress Marienberg in Würzburg, Germany 15-16 September 2010. Abstract and papers for oral or poster presentations are invited on the following topics: Application / case studies (Landfills, Canals, Reservoirs / Dams, Transportation Infrastructure) • Durability / Lifetime • Laboratory testing • Performance (Cation exchange, Desiccation, Experience from excavation • Regulations / Approvals. Abstracts must be submitted via e-mail to: gbr-c2k10@skz.de no later than 30 September 2009. View the flyer in PDF.

Aggregate Industries - Northeast Region Inc., will pay a $2.75 million civil penalty and implement a regional evaluation and compliance program to resolve numerous violations of the Clean Water Act at 23 facilities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. The penalty is the largest ever assessed to a nationwide ready-mix concrete company for storm water violations under the Clean Water Act. The settlement is the latest in a series of federal enforcement actions to address storm water violations from industrial facilities and construction sites around the country.

The 25th International Conference on Solid Waste Technology and Management conference has issued its Call for Papers. The event will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 14-17 March 2010. It's hosted by the Civil Engineering Department of Widener University and the Journal of Solid Waste Technology and Management. Deadline for receipt of abstracts: 31 October 2009. Read the abstract invitation. Learn more here.;

Noosa Woods and the Noosa Spit Beach along Australia's Sunshine Coast has been eaten away at by tidal erosion. Local officials are now evaluating a proposal for a combination rock groyne and submerged geotextile berm to deflect tidal forces and to better separate the boating channel from swimmers. An additonal, small groyne would be added to further trap sediment. Many people are skeptical about the plan's ability to win approval, however. Learn more here.;

The geosynthetics industry has learned that Samir T. Badawi has died while traveling in Germany. Badawi has served as chairman of Houston-based Gundle/SLT Environmental Inc.'s (GSE) Board of Directors since 1995 and as company CEO since 1998. In that time, the company expanded steadily, building upon what was already a highly respected name in geosynthetic manufacturing. Badawi's considerable global business experience proved to be a good fit for GSE, which has operations around the world. Not only did he oversee GSE's important merger with SLT/ Environmental, but its acquisition by a private equity firm (Code, Hennessy & Simmons). Read more.

GSE has released an official statement regarding the death of president and CEO Samir T. Badawi.

Land and Water magazine's Erosion and Sediment Control Network (ESCN.tv) has for years been a weekly roundup of stories impacting the erosion control and sediment control field. But after a couple significant upgrades to the ESCN website (www.escn.tv) and a week off, the online-based broadcast has returned with news that it is moving to bi-weekly broadcasts, deeper stories and more reports not just from the field but actively out in it. Read more.

TenCate Geosynthetics has published its Summer 2009 issue of MiraFacts, a semi-annual, electronic publication detailing projects, issues affecting engineering, short course and training opportunities, and more. The issue contains a host of interesting stories, including three case studies, a specification update, the introduction of MiraGreen Nonwoven D, and more. Read it online today.

Blowing dust and muddy roads can pose hazards to the environment, the public, and profits. Grading and Excavation Contractor magazine has rounded up some experts on the subject in a July/August 2009 issue. They offer their advice. Included among them is CISEC's Jerry Fifield who offers a tip on trackout pad construction with geotextile underlay. Learn more here.;

The Global Plastics Environmental Conference (GPEC 2010) will be held 8-10 March 2010 at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center in Orlando, Florida. GPEC is sponsored by the Plastics Environmental Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). The theme of GPEC 2010 is "Sustainability and Recycling: Raising the Bar in Today’s Economy." The conference invites your abstracts through 1 October 2009. Final papers will be due 1 December 2009. For more information, view the Call for Papers in PDF. Learn more here.;

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) has added the 2009-published book Thermal Analysis of Polymers: Fundamentals and Applications by Joseph D. Menczel and R. Bruce Prime. This book emphasizes the practical uses of thermal analysis. Each chapter guides readers through the applications of thermal analysis for polymer characterization, with detailed examples that show how to perform each step. Learn more here.;