Ground Improvement

The River Deben Association in Suffolk County, United Kingdom, is turning its attention to a plan to use geogrid in an erosion attenuation barrier. The geogrids would be used to wrap and support bundled reeds. Learn more here.;

Firestone's 4-hour seminar combines classroom demonstrations, discussion with expert staff and video training. It is designed for individuals interested in residential and light commercial lining projects. The next sessions will be held in Westminster, Colorado (Aug 14); Grant, Michigan (Aug 22); and Uniontown, Ohio (Sept 10). Contact Firestone about future offerings and how to get a seminar in your state or region. Learn more here.;

The Sun Star of Cebu, Philippines, has published an article about Dr. Dennes Bergado's presentation “Sustainabl Infrastructure and Mitigation of Hazards due to Climate Change and Global Warming.” Bergado is the president of the Thai Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). Read the Sun Star's article about geotechnical engineering and geosynthetics. Learn more here.;

Over at What's New in Building (WNIBi) they've picked up a piece from Tensar International on the Burnley Further and Higher Education by College construction project. The £81 million development saved considerably in time and money with reinforcement geogrids and wall system technologies that Tensar has used on other brownfields projects. Learn more here.;

The next Civil Applications and Design Seminar from Tensar is 21 August 2008 in Birmingham, Alabama. Topics may include geosynthetics in pavement design, reflective cracking reduction, waste containment applications, foundations, steep slope stability, design and construction of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls, and wastewater treatment. Participants can earn up to 8 PDH credits. Learn more here.;

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's (PennDOT) lengthy I-99 Skytop road construction is finally nearing completion after five years of questions surrounding how to contain the old acid rock unearthed during the project. High-denstiy polyethylene (HDPE) liner has been used to make the former spoils site safe for the last stage of roadworks. Learn more here.;

SKZ's renowned "Lifetime of Geosynthetics" event is to hold its first session in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Registration for the two-day event is now open with an early-bird discount available through September 24. Dr. Helmut Zanzinger will chair the seminar, which takes place 22-23 October 2008. The second day will include a tour of an artificial lakes site. BMC Gulf, Leister and Agru are the events main sponsors.

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) has announced the winners of the 2008-2009 GSI Fellowship Awards. Each fellowship carries a $10,000, renewable stipend. A list of the students and topics--and contact information for the next fellowship call--is available here.

Firestone offers installation training all over the United States for its versatile PondGard EPDM liner. The four-hour session combines classroom demonstrations, discussion, and video training followed by time with Firestone staff. This seminar is designed for individuals interested in residential and light commercial lining projects (including backyard decorative ponds, retention ponds, waterfall features and the associated project nuances involved with these types of applications). The next sessions will be held in Westminster, Colorado; Grant, Michigan; and Uniontown, Ohio. Learn more here.;

The Minnesota Erosion Control Association (MECA) reminds readers that the registration deadline for the annual Low Impact Development (LID) Tour is August 7. The brochure/registration form is available on MECA’s website, or call the MECA office at +1 763 478 3267 for more information on the August 12 event. Learn more here.;

Are geogrids to walls what noodles are to lasagna? One Canadian reporter believes so. Steve Maxwell's article "Built to Last" in the Ottawa Citizen introduces the paper's readers to better wall design, including proper drainage and the incorporation of geogrid reinforcement. Learn more here.;

TenCate, a leading global manufacturer of geosynthetics, has a major synthetic turf division. But some people have recently raised unfounded concerns about the safety of these new turf products. The US Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has now ruled that all synthetic turf is safe to play on. Read the TenCate release on CPSC's announcement. Learn more here.;

The income fund GENIVAR has acquired Quebec-based Solmers Inc., an environmental engineering services firm. The move significantly helps the fund's interaction with key areas of construction and engineering in Canada, such as municipal solid waste and industrial waste processing and disposal. Solmers' resume includes many millions of square meters of materials designed and installed. Learn more here.;

EDANA, a Europe-base association for the nonwovens industry (which includes nonwoven geotextiles), has relaunched its website with a new look and organization. Visit the main site or visit one of the relevant subpages, such as Civil and Engineering Geotextiles. Learn more here.;

The Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC) has released its Summer 2008 newsletter. This edition includes information on the Quality and Data Oversight and Review (QDOR) program, the ECTC Board of Directors meeting in Indianapolis, board member profiles, a spotlight on sediment retention fiber rolls (SRFRs), and much more. View the issue in PDF. Learn more here.;

New York State is highly influential in US landfill construction and monitoring practices. Germany's system holds a similar position in Europe. Both New York and Germany have been incorporating electrical leak location (liner integrity) CQA, but there is a fascinating difference: in New York, the focus is on the bottom liner; in Germany, on the final cover. Brief interviews with Robert Phaneuf and Dr. Werner Müller help explain.

This page breaks down the latest broadcast stories from the Erosion and Sediment Control Network and lists related erosion control news from geosynthetica.net.

We noted the Greenroofs.com piece on the St. Louis-based Marconi Building greenroof installation the other day; additional project information is available in this write-up on the GreenScapes project from CETCO.

Solmax International announced last August that it had earned Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) certification. In an audit last month, the company's rating was affirmed and renewed--and Solmax's application has been recommended for the border security program's important Tier 2.

TRI/Environmental’s Denver Downs Research Facility (DDRF) will host the Field Day half of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) South Carolina Chapter's Training and Field Days. The site visit is worth 3 PDH credits. VIEW THE PDF BROCHURE.

The latest standards and work items from ASTM International are posted in our weekly report. This week's announcements include three new or revised standards and one work item from Committee D35 on Geosynthetics.

Over at Greenroofs.com they've published a project piece regarding a Saint Louis, Missouri installation. The site used CETCO's GreenScapes system that provides waterproofing, drainage, root barriers, growing medium and plants. Learn more here.;

American Excelsior Company announces a new erosion control blanket targeted for those projects where performance is needed, but the project operating budget allows only for the use of lower-end type ECBs such as straw matting. Read the release on Curlex CL, a notable edition to the popular Curlex line.

CETCO announces the introduction of a new geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) product: Bentomat® 200R. This new GCL combines the benefits of CETCO’s needle-punched GCLs with the economical pricing of the Claymax® GCLs. Read more in the release.

Though the bi-weekly Call for Papers Update will be published on Monday morning, we'd like to remind readers that 1 August 2008 is the deadline for submissions to TRB 88, Urban Water Management 2009, and the 2009 Techtextil North America Symposium. See the succinct breakdown of deadlines here.