Ground Improvement

It's not often that someone responds to criticism of landfilll proposals (in newspapers) with actual civil engineering information. In the area of Grand Forks, North Dakota, that has happened. Dr. Harvey Gullicks, an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of North Dakota, has waded into the fray to explain why the placement of garbage in a landfill is not, as previously published in the paper, like pushing a sharp object into a thin, home garbage bag. Gullicks note is appreciated by the engineering community--though, to judge by one of the vituperative responses, not by landfill critics in Grand Forks.

The Associated Press has published an article on the state of Indiana's coal ash situation. Indiana has considerable coal deposits in the southern portion of the state, and 95% of the state's electricity is generated in coal-fired plants. The coal ash generated from these sites is deposited in 14 storage facilities. The EPA's new order gives plant operators 10 days to supply records of inspections and concerns with all coal ash ponds. The aging nature of Indian's facilities reinforces the notion that modernized ponds, with geosynthetic lining systems, are needed. Learn more here.;

Responding to last year’s massive coal ash spill at a Tennessee Valley Authority facility in Kingston, Tennessee, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today laid out new efforts to prevent future threats to human health and the environment. The agency’s plan includes measures to gather critical coal ash impoundment information from electrical utilities nationwide, conduct on-site assessments to determine structural integrity and vulnerabilities, order cleanup and repairs where needed, and develop new regulations for future safety. Read more in the release….

The Celebrity Solstice cruiser, a 122,000-ton luxury liner from Germany, launched late last year with a 2,130-sq-m lawn between the ship's funnels on the upper deck. Guests use it for lawn bowling, croquet, putting and picnicking. The lawn is modeled after greenroofs and uses a lightweight, porous growing medium instead of soil. Polypropylene geogrid stabilizes the 90 mm layer of heat-expanded calcium clay. Learn more here.;

Geosynthetica is proud to announce two new media partnerships with conferences: CanBuild09 and Geosynthetics Middle East 2009. The Canadian Brownfield Urban and Industrial Land Development conference (CanBUILD) 2009 takes place in April in Toronto. SKZ's Geosynthetics Middle East 2009 is the 2nd installment in this international series and will take place in November in Dubai. Read more about these events and download the brochures and/or call for papers here.

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.;

A blog post from Monday afternoon (9 March 2009) at the West Virginia Gazette suggested that the chair of the United States House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee--Nick J. Rahall II (D-WV)--may be attempting to minimize new regulations on coal ash slurry reservoirs. Things may not be as they seem in this one, however. Politics has much to do with timing. Read more.

Not much is very clear about Iowa's waste cell design and operation rules; at least, that seems to be the case in a Radio Iowa article about the current dispute over proposed rule changes--particularly in regards to liner requirements. The article author has neglected to include specifics of the dispute. What is certain is this: even landfill operators and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) representatives are in agreement that the rules are not clear. Iowa has a rule prohibiting tougher regulations than federal standards. But does this apply to old landfills that, in a way, had been grandfathered into current code under rules designed to fit them into a new regulatory scheme? Learn more here.;

Tensar International's Blackburn, United Kingdom office is profiled in Lancashire Telegraph article on the economic downtown and businesses finding a way to succeed. Tensar's Tim Oliver is interviewed in the article. He cites the pound's weakness as increasing the UK office's competitiveness in Europe, the success of the new China facility, and the growing announcements of government spending on infrastructure around the world as positive forces for Tensar and the industry. Learn more here.;

In March, North American Green is offering numerous sessions in various cities of its technical seminar for engineers "Designing with High-Performance (Hydraulic and Rolled) Erosion Control Products." Attendees can earn up to 3.0 Professional Development Hours (PDH) credits while receiving valuable information about specificy and using these materials immediately. Also, registration is FREE. Additionally, all attendees will receive a free, 2-gig USB flash drive, pre-loaded with helpful design and specification data. Read more about the course and learn about dates and cities in which it will be offered. Learn more here.;

Dr. Ian D. Peggs, P.E., P.Eng., has authored an introduction to ISO/TS 13434, "Geosynthetics: Guidelines for the Assessment of Durability." We publish here the sections on historical development, geotextiles, geosynthetic barriers and geogrids. For online readability, we've broken the sections into four pages, but all references have been repeated on each page for convenience of use. Links to the subsequent sections on geotextiles, geosynthetic barriers and geogrids can be found at the end of each part under "Related Sections." Begin here with the section on "Historical Development."

In Mansfield, Massachusetts, Compo Chemical Company is carrying out a multimillion-dollar cleanup of a 26.5-acre brownfield ahead of redevelopment. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are being extracted from excavated soil with a system that involves removing contaminated soil, storing it on an impermeable liner system, and drawing out the polluted vapors. Read about it in New England Construction. Learn more here.;

The French construction publication, BTP, has posted an article about the importance of geotextiles and geocomposites in roadway improvement, such as for the reduction of reflective cracking and subgrade improvement through reducing water incursion and the mixing of fines. In particular, the publication cites TenCate's products currently being used in the French market. Read the article today (in French only). Learn more here.;

AMI's magazine Compounding World has released its March 2009 issue online. The current issue contains articles on new developments in additives for conductive compounds, an analysis of the concentrates markets in North America, advice on materials handling systems for compounders, clariant's plastics colour trends predictions for 2010, top tips for reducing your plant's energy costs, and job opportunities in the Middle East. View it online today. Learn more here.;

The Soloman Star newspaper (of the Soloman Islands) has published a viewpoint from Willis Eschenbach on the subject of atoll and beach preservation. Mr. Eschenbach describes the process by which geotextile tubes and gabion baskets may be used in restoration and conservation measures. Learn more here.;

SKZ announces the 2nd International Conference of Geosynthetics Middle East to be held in Dubai, UAE (10-11 November 2009). A call for papers has been issued with abstracts due by 30 March 2009. This year's topics include polymer developments; products (Geomembranes, Geotextiles, Geogrids, Geocomposites, Erosion control products, Geopipes); testing, quality assurance, certification; installation, welding; applications, projects, case studies; durability, lifetime. Dr. Helmut Zanzinger will chair the seminar. Download the call for papers here.

Though even the United Arab Emirates has suffered a slowdown in construction due to the flagging global economy, a number of major developments continue nonetheless. Among them is the Jumeirah Golf Estates, which will feature one of (if not the) largest permeable paving endeavors ever. UK-based Hanson Formpave certainly welcomes the news, as its geotextile/geogrid system has been specified into the overall construction to support the 250,000 m2 of permeable paving. Learn more here.;

The Netherlands-headquartered TenCate reports that it exceed one billion Euros in revenue for 2008. An 11% growth in sales was announced for the fourth quarter. The global economic crisis did tighten sales, however; and part of the company's successful numbers are the result of wise acquisitions and price management. The Geosynthetics & Grass sector, which has a significant input from the North American office, was bouyed by the synthetic turf market. With infrastructure becoming a major force in economic recovery discussions, the Geosynthetics division may continue to show strong numbers going forward internationally, though caution must certainly be shown. Forecasts will not be issued. Learn more here.;

The massive economic stimulus package passed by the United States Congress and President Obama's administration has included consider funds for states to put into infrastructure. But are these funds getting out there? Some signs are cropping up. In Louisiana, for example, $16 million is heading to Rapides Parish for drainage and erosion control projects. The municipal requests exceed this money, but it is certain that the money will be used quickly, materials acquired, and construction implemented. Learn more here.;

Solmax International advocates a safe process, from the geomembrane’s fabrication to its installation. To ensure safe container unloading of its products, Solmax now presents its method on video. With this process, the company aims to improve the effectiveness of the operations of its clients; and to reveal some economical options versus truck delivery (particularly in the western United States). A copy of the video of the safe unloading process is available on Solmax's website. A DVD copy can be sent by mail to customers. Learn more here.;

During the Geosynthetics 2009 show, geosynthetica's Chris Kelsey had the good fortune to meet Stan Slifer of Watersaver. Stan was traveling with new business cards: ones that noted he was now Watersaver's president. Congratulations to Stan on the promotion! Learn more here.;

While we await the open of Geosynthetics 2009 and to report all the news and innovations that are revealed from the gathering, we want to take a moment to remind our readers of a number of key opportunities coming up in the geosynthetics community. Of note, the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) is holding another GMA Lobby Day in Washington DC; T-CLIC returns with more training, short course, and certification events; and the Geosynthetic Institute is offering public and private-focused infrastructure courses.

The Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC) has re-designed its newsletter under the leadership of Scott Nelson of Geo-Synthetics Inc. The newsletter reflects the new direction ECTC has taken with this group. Within the past two years, ECTC has expanded the types of products it represents to include hydraulically applied erosion control products and sediment retention fiber rolls (also known as wattles). The latest initiative ECTC has implemented is the Quality Data Oversight Review (QDOR) program. More information about QDOR and the work being done by ECTC can be found in the newsletter, courtesy of ECTC managing director Laurie Honnigford.

At EC09--the 40th conference and expo of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA), which was held in Reno, Nevada, 9-13 February--the IECA Board of Directors installed two new officers and held elections to determine new positions. The IECA Board of Directors is made up of nine members, each serving a three year term. Read a short bio on the ten members from IECA's Katie Kiaha.

It's late Wednesday evening as I post this from Salt Lake City where IFAI's Geosynthetics 2009 conference opened. Day one proved to be full and engaging. A keynote lecture, technical sessions, a fiery polypropylene geomembranes panel discussion, short courses and a reception. The first of a series of reports from the event is posted here.