Ground Improvement

ASCE's India 2010 conference--the 3rd International Perspective on Current & Future State of Water Resources & the Environment--seeks abstract proposals of 500 words or less on water resource planning, conveyance, infrastructure, innovative technologies, hazarous and solid waste management, and much more. Download a brochure for the call. Learn more here.;

The March-April 2009 issue of Erosion Control includes Tara Beecham's look at various erosion control blankets (ECBs) and turf reinforcement mats (TRMs). She focuses on the basics behind reasons for selection (natural look and long-term anchorage for vegetation), various systems (such as erosion control systems above geomembrane and clean soil, as you might find in remediated areas), and touches upon biodegrable options. Commercial development, recreational development and other sectors are represented. Among those companies mentioned in the article you'll find American Excelsior, East Coast Erosion Blankets, North American Green, and Presto Products. Read it online. Learn more here.;

St. Patrick's Day 2009 (March 17) is also the next Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) Lobby Day. This important annual event brings industry, lobbyists, government agency representatives and Congressional offices and committees together. With important water, coal ash management, and transportation issues to address (and in the context of an economic crisis sorely in need of infrastructure spending), this year's event holds great importance. Read an invitation from GMA Executive Director Andrew Aho and learn about how to be part of this gathering.

The Freedonia Institute's latest geosynthetics market report ("Geosynthetics to 2012") indicates that demand for these materials will advance 2.5 percent annually to over 900 million square yards in 2012. This projects a value in excess of $2 billion. Freedonia expects that gains will be promoted by rebounding road and highway construction spending. In the near term, demand is also expected to be promoted by components of the Obama Administration’s economic stimulus program that involve public works. Geosynthetics can be used to stabilize foundations, promote drainage and prevent erosion, generally at a lower cost than alternative products. Demand for high-performance geosynthetics, such as geomembranes, geogrids and preformed geocomposites, will outpace demand for less costly geosynthetics. Learn more here.;

geosynthetica's Tech Note series publishes concise questions and observations from the practice. The latest, "Are you testing the reinforcement or the polymer?" comes from frequent contributor Ian Peggs of I-CORP INTERNATIONAL. His question is important, for the durability and degradation of the polymer is just as important to a material's service life suitability as its reinforcement component.

Waste & Recycling News Capitol Hill Summit will convene at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, in Washington, D.C., on 30-31 March 2009. This 1-1/2 day summit will bring together environmental, waste and recycling executives from corporations both large and small, as well as companies that provide environmental services to corporate America. Co-organizer of the event is the environmental division of the law firm of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP. View the list of speakers here. Learn more here.;

Erosion Control magazine is the latest publication to release a digital format edition. This free, optional version of the magazine displays the publication in an exact copy on your computer. It follows closely after the magazine's relaunch of its website, which included greater interactivity between the writers and readers, blogs, and more. Demo the March/April 2009 digital edition here. Learn more here.;

Plastics in Underground Pipes 2009 will take place at the Radisson Resort Orlando - Celebration, Florida, from 6-7 May 2009. With underground pipes, installation time and costs are critical and plastics--by offering flexibility, durability and chemical resistance--are increasingly being used to overcome many of the issues with traditional materials. A program for the event is now available. One of the speakers featured will be Rick Thomas of TRI/Environmental, who will speak on the subject of "The development of HDPE corrugated drainage pipe containing recycled HDPE for highway applications." View the program in PDF. Learn more here.;

Applied Market Information (AMI) has announced the dates and a call for proposals for Waterproof Membranes 2009. The event will take place in Düsseldorf, Germany from 19-21 October 2009. AMI's Dr. Sally Humphreys invites presentation proposals through 17 April 2009. Also, an early-bird registration and exhibition opportunities are available. Contact the conference organizers for more information. Geosynthetica was a media partner for Waterproof Membranes 2008 and encourages its readers to consider the 2009 installment of the event. Learn more here.;

Iryna Popova, Director of EcoInform, has announced that a draft program is now available for the 6th Cooperation for Waste Issues conference, which will take place 8-9 April 2009 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Key topics at the event include municipal and industrial waste, radioactive waste, environmental compliance, biomass, energy generation, and much more. View the program today. Geosynthetica.net is a cooperating organization to the event. Learn more here.;

On 17 February 2009, geosynthetica's Chris Kelsey will be speaking to engineers affiliated with the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on the subject of animal waste lagoon linings and lessons learned. NRCS is part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). More information on this talk will follow.

How do construction industry companies and associations stack up against one another in lobbying dollars? Building Green has published a list of money going to lobbying groups in Washington DC. While the money involved means that lobbyists and lawyers aren't going to be held in high regard by the average person anytime soon--favoritism is, of course, a major concern--their work is crucial to communication between industries and legislative committees. This includes bringing technologies and options to the attention of legislators. For example, the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) has worked with lobbyists to introduce geosynthetic technologies water infrastructure legislative influencers. Learn more here.;

India-based publication MasterBuilder has released a special issue on geosynthetics in the world's largest democracy. Artilces from Ian Peggs of I-CORP INTERNATIONAL, Lance Carter of Strata Systems, and many others are included. Subjects covered include high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes, geogrid soil reinforcement, geotextile applications (e.g., road construction), landfills, waterproofing, and more. Read the electronic version of the magazine. Learn more here.;

Geosynthetics 2009 is the largest geosynthetics industry event in North America. This biennial event will explore important issues affecting water resources, mining, infrastructure development and regulatory communities in the American, Canadian and Mexican markets. Organizers have announced an extention to the early registration rate to 30 January 2009. Register now to secure the best rates. The event will take place 25-27 February 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) has scheduled two infrastructure short courses for users (new and experienced) of geosynthetics. These much-needed educational opportunities couldn't have emerged at a better time. GSI's courses focus on public and private sector use of geosynthetics (with one course being dedicated to each). Each course will be offered twice during the spring. The dates for the one-day sessions are as follows: Infrastructure Development Using Geosynthetics: Public Sector Projects - March 23 and April 13; Infrastructure Development Using Geosynthetics: Private Sector Projects - March 24 and April 14. More information on the sessions is available here.

Democrats in the United States Congress have begun revealing details of an ambitious spending and tax program to provide an economic stimimulus to the ailing economy and revitalize a many years-deteriorating civil infrastructure. Key to the stimulus package is infrastructure investment totaling $85 billion, including $30 billion for highway and bridge construction, $3 billion for airport improvement, $10 billion for drinking water and wastewater treatment projects and $4.5 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers. More on this will emerge shortly.

REMINDER: Register immediately to get a connection place for CE News' FREE webinar on hydraulically-applied mulches. This 20 January 2009 online presentation features TRI/Environmental's Joel Sprague and North American Green's Gabriel Weaver and Jill Pack. The event is part of CE News' Webcast Series and is worth 1 professional development hour (PDH) for eligible participants. The talk begings at 2:00 pm (EST).

Late last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Water's issued a draft document for developing watershed total maximum daily loads (TMDLs). Public comments are coming due on the “Handbook for Developing Watershed TMDLs." Please know that the public comment period closes on 18 February 2009.

Leak location technology has greatly improved construction quality assurance (CQA) measures and, thus, geosynthetic lining system performance. But while the benefits of geoelectric surveys cannot be disputed, one should understand that not all lining systems are immediately survey-able. Ian Peggs' short tech note on double liner systems illuminates this issue but establishing minimum boundaries and pointing out troubles (challenges to surveys) that may result from certain system arrangements.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has announced that it will release details from its 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure on 28 January 2009--two months ahead of the full report's release. The association has decided to release some information now, as the new Congress and incoming presidential administration have both placed new infastructure projects high on the list of priorities for the United States. ASCE will release letter grades and short conditions summaries for each of 15 categories, solutions for infrastructure improvement, and an overall cost to improve the nation’s infrastructure. Read an important letter from ASCE president D. Wayne Klotz on the report card (and renew your membership!).

Following Congressional pledges for EPA regulation of coal waste after the catastrophic waste spill in Tennessee and a second spill in Alabama, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) has outlined what it believes are the minimum safeguards necessary to protect the environment and public health and safety from coal waste. Among the SELC's recommendations: double-liner systems. Read more in the release and link to a report.

Strata Systems, Inc. announces an upgrade to its advanced interactive computer software program designed to assist engineers with the design and analysis of geogrid-reinforced steep slopes. Earthen slopes up to 70 degrees from horizontal can be safely designed in accordance with methodologies accepted by the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a multitude of project applications. The program, named StrataSlope, is now available on Strata’s newly redesigned website and is recommended for use by experienced geotechnical and civil engineers familiar with the technology of mechanically stabilized earthen structures. Read more.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the compliance dates for all facilities; and it's establishing new compliance dates for farms subject to the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule as part of EPA’s multi-phased strategy to address concerns with the current regulation. Specifically, this amendment extends the dates by which the owner or operator of an SPCC-regulated facility must prepare or amend and implement its SPCC plan. This rule also establishes the dates by which the owner or operator of a farm must prepare or amend and implement its SPCC plan. Read more.

As previously reported, Waste News has changed its name to Waste & Recycling News. This week, the magazine followed up with a new web address: www.wasterecyclingnews.com. The publication's changes are to include greater focus on recycling and, in particular, the scrap industry. Starting in February, the newspaper will publish a special section on scrap. This special focus will appear 18 times per year. Learn more here.;

An update, now, on CETCO's growing presence in the Middle East. We posted news last fall on CETCO Oilfield Services move into the Libyan market, and an update has emerged. The company has signed a deal with the Libyan services agent company APSCOP (Althuraya Petroleum Services and Supplies) to provide water treatment services to the Libyan oil and gas industry. CETCO's other divisions include lining and waterproofing technologies, such as geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) and geomembranes. Learn more here.;