Ground Improvement

In recognition and celebration of Earth Day, the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) is offering a $25 discount on professional memberships (normally $170).

Andrew Aho, executive director of the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA), reports that John Henderson of Tencate Geosynthetics has been re-elected as Chairman the GMA Executive Council. This will be John's second term. "We appreciate John’s service and look forward to his continued leadership as Chairman," Aho says. In the past couple years, GMA has made great strides in communication with US Congressional legislators and infrastructure committees.

The Spring 2009 issue of MiraFacts, a publication from TenCate Geosynthetics, has been released. This issue contains stories on how geosynthetics help reduce a carbon footprint, new haul roads brochure, a technical note on loading, two case cases, upcoming events, and more. (Continued.)

Quick word out of the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA): John Henderson of Tencate Geosynthetics has been re-elected as Chairman the GMA Executive Council. This will be John's second term. Writes GMA executive director, Andrew Aho, "We appreciate John’s service and look forward to his continued leadership as Chairman." In the past couple years, GMA has made great strides in communication with US Congressional legislators and infrastructure committees. Learn more here.;

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson is scheduled to lead the U.S. delegation to the Group of Eight Environment Ministers Meeting held this year in Siracusa, Italy. This marks her first international trip as EPA Administrator. Administrator Jackson will represent the United States among Environment Ministers from the Group of Eight (Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Canada, and Russia) as well as 12 additional Environment Ministers and leaders of international organizations from around the world. Read more.

“Proper design and installation are essential for geosynthetic structures to perform effectively,” says Dov Leshchinsky, a professor at the University of Delaware. Leshchinsky, who many in the geosynthetic user community know through his reinforced structures software, is the subject of a profile in the 20 April 2009 issue of U Daily. Learn more here.;

Professional society and business newsletters are a fantastic way to keep current on international events. Geosynthetica, for example, grew out of I-CORP International’s 1990s newsletter Industry Insight. In the past week, two interesting newsletters have come out. (Continued.)

The closing date for abstract submissions to Waterproof Membranes 2009 is NOW: 17 April 2009. We strongly encourage readers to submit their presentation proposals to Dr. Sally Humphreys (sh@amiplastics.com) at Applied Market Information (AMI), the event organizer. This year’s installment marks the third international conference for the waterproofing industry and will take place from 19-21 October 2009 at the Swissôtel Düsseldorf/Neuss in Düsseldorf, Germany. Additionally, the early bird registration rate of EUR790 (Note: 19% German VAT is added) is available through 24 April 2009. This represents a very significant 20% savings on the full registration price.

The 17th Street Canal in New Orleans is eroding at a rate significantly faster than before Hurricane Katrina. Environmental engineers and investigators are trying to determine is rehabilitation work on levees in the past couple years has produced the erosion and if it is causing additional stability problems below surface to the slopes of the canal walls and which would, ultimately, affect levee stability. Learn more here.;

On 15 April 2009, US EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced $600 million in new funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for the cleanup of hazardous waste (Superfund) sites across the nation. In most cases, this recovery act funding will accelerate the hazardous waste cleanup already underway at the sites and fund new clean-up projects. It will also jumpstart the local economy by creating jobs in the site areas. (Continued.)

When the United States Congress, working with President Obama’s administration, released the massive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the staggering billions it opened for allocation were in part to go to “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects. Whether the nation's most polluted sites would benefit, however, was not clear. On Wednesday, April 15, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced $600 million of the Recovery Act funds would be made available to National Priorities List (NPL) projects—otherwise known as Superfund. Chris Kelsey reports.

TenCate™ Geosynthetics has made innovative improvements to the Mirafi® S-Series nonwoven geotextiles by providing improved UV resistance and introducing a variety of new color offerings. Mirafi® S-Series nonwoven geotextiles are used in a wide variety of applications in the environmental market. These include use in critical subsurface drainage systems, soil separation, permanent erosion control, protection of HDPE and other geomembranes in landfill construction. (Continued.)

During the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Royal Ten Cate, which was held on 9 April 2009, the dividend for the 2008 financial year was declared at €0.85 (2007: €0.80) per ordinary share of €2.50 par value. (Continued.)

Applied Market Information (AMI) has published the first issue of Film and Sheet Extrusion magazine, a new bi-monthly publication. The entire April/May 2009 edition is available for viewing online. This inaugural issue's stories include an analysis of global PE film markets; new developments in bioplastics; control systems for better extrusion; new lines from W&H, Berstorff and Pti; a Plast show review and Chinaplas preview; and more. Learn more here.;

Strata Systems has released a new StrataSlope® brochure. The publication offers technical data and application references designed to help civil engineers, site developers and construction firms identify available soil reinforcement technologies that address difficult geotechnical engineering challenges. Learn more here.;

The India-based Business Coordination House (BCH), which is involved in, among other things, the creation and promotion of geotextile and geosynthetic seminars, has released its April - June 2009 newsletter. This issue includes an article on page 35 on "Textiles for a Built Environment." This includes a section on landscaping materials, such as root barriers, soil stabilization materials, and greenroof support. Read it in PDF today. Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) has finalized details on a partnership with the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, to create an online version of its stormwater training program. The custom-created program IECA will be developing for Wal-Mart will be a first for the Association. (Continued.)

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) is accepting abstracts for its annual conference through May 15. EC10 will be held in Dallas, Texas 14-17 February 2009. IECA organizes its work into 8 technology sections: slopes, stream restoration, vegetative establishment, stormwater management, wetlands, erosion and sediment control, beach and shoreline stabilization, and wind erosion. The "Hot Topics" for 2010 are LEED for new construction, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process. Learn more here.;

Dr. David J. Elton reports from the annual ASCE / Geo-Institute MSE Wall GeoCompetition, which pits numerous university engineering student teams against one another in an MSE load-test model competition. This year's winning team hails from the University of Missouri - Columbia. We congratulate them and invite our readers to learn more about this event in Dr. Elton's write up.

Rebecca McWatters from Queens University (Canada) won the 2009 North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS) student paper competition. The award was announced in February at the Geosynthetics 2009 conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. McWatters' paper, "Diffusive Transport of VOCs through a Co-Extruded Geomembrane with a Nylon Barrier for use in Landfill Cover and Contaminant Barrier Systems," was judged on the content and her presentation at the conference. She is working for a PhD under the direction of Professor R. Kerry Rowe at Queens University. Read more about the award.

This 451-page manual provides procedures recommended by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for analyzing and designing effective highway drainage facilities. The "Hydraulic Design Manual" was originally published in March 2009. Learn more here.;

The highly-anticipated Quality Data Oversight and Review (QDOR) program and website from the Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC) has been released. Products bearing the QDOR seal have been manufactured and tested according to industry standards, and the data on those products has been compiled, submitted, and reviewed in accordance with QDOR's guidelines. Engineers, specifiers and government agencies should benefit considerably from this innovative quality check in what has been a rapidly changing, technology-driven erosion control product landscape. Learn more here.;

Over at GroundTradesExchange, a discussion has cropped up among site users as to how to best redo driveways in Memphis for long-term sustainability. Geotextiles and limestone have been suggested, and a couple participants have added their thoughts on ensuring proper drainage and the benefits of geotextile separators for maintaining the integrity of the installation. Learn more here.;

The March 2009 issue of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) News is available. IGS News is a semi-annual publication containing chapter reports, event recaps, course announcements, etc. Highlights of the March issue include reports from RemTech, Geosynthetics 2009, and "Lifetime of Geosynthetics"; a German draft on geosynthetic reinforcement recommendations; a call for IGS Council candidates; and much more. Download the issue in PDF today. Learn more here.;

GeoFlorida 2010, the annual geo-congress of the Geo-Institute of ASCE, will be held 20-24 February 2010 and will present a broad perspective on new developments in geotechnical engineering analysis, modeling and design. Technical topics will crosscut all areas of the profession, such as stability analysis, geoenvironmental engineering, and case histories. The deadline for abstracts has been extended to 24 April 2009. Download the Call for Papers in PDF.