TenCate in China
TenCate Geosynthetics is to open a plant in China this week. On Friday, June 13, parent company Royal TenCate, which is based in the Netherlands, will officially open the plant in Zhuhai. The plant's production will concentrate on markets in India and China and employ about 150 people.
Learn more here.;
EPA Podcast
The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) offers a suite of multimedia products, such as blogs, online video interviews and podcasts. For example, Green Scene's latest online broadcast addresses green building trends. Visit the EPA's Multimedia Page for more information.
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EC09 Deadline Extended
It's still not too late to submit an abstract for a poster presentation at EC09, which will be held 9-12 February 2009 in Reno, Nevada. Poster presentations are a great way to get started as a presenter. The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) will accept proposals for EC09 poster presentations until 30 June 2008. For more details, please contact Kim Kline by email at kim@ieca.org.
Learn more here.;
Saving City Sewers
In the greater Sudbury, Ontario area, runoff and stormwater inflows from residential neighborhoods cost the wastewater and sewage processing facilities close to $1 million per year. But residents are starting to install porous paving stones, including one locally manufactured system that uses a hydro-carbon filtering geotextile imported from the United Kingdom.
Learn more here.;
Geotextile Tubes Needed
The Lake Improvement Association (LIA) of the Grand Lake St. Marys area in Ohio is raising money through local activities and through a Farm Bill grant. The association is seeking to raise more than $1 million, a portion of which will be directed toward acquiring geotextile tubes. The grant funding is coming from the state of Ohio and the National Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
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GSE Expands Sales Team
GSE has announced the appointments of four new members to its key sales team: Dale Geary, Larry Lydick, Richard Mason, and Edgar Rodriguez. All four bring a couple decades of experience in geosynthetics and affiliated sectors, such as mining. The release from GSE offers a bio of each person and identifies their regional territories.
Geogrids in Virginia
Construction magazine has published an update on the Virginia Department of Transportation's Newport News road-widening project. The project is entering its Phase III, which includes the installation of geotextiles and, in some places, geogrids to strengthen the silty and blue marle clay soils that characterize the peninsula.
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Freedonia Report Available
The latest report from Freedonia is called "Industrial Rubber Products to 2012." US demand for industrial rubber products is forecasted to advance 2.8 percent per annum to $18.6 billion. Growth in building construction expenditures will spur demand geomembrane products such as EPDM geomembranes. The study is currently available only for full purchase in print or by PDF, but within two months it will be available for chapter purchases.
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Lagoon Conservation Program
A trio of hog operations have been awarded funding from North Carolina's Lagoon Conversion Program. The program, which was established in 2007, offers up to $500,000 for innovation in manure lagoon management. The three winning companies from this initial phase are all based in Sampson County. No details have yet been reported regarding the type of systems they've proposed.
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Long-Term Mining Boom
World prices for precious and semi-precious metals have vaulted in the past few years, and this spike in demand has helped fuel tremendous growth in the mining industry. But while prices have somewhat stabilized, growth will continue. Australia forecasts a 70% rise in employment (90,000 new jobs) in mining through 2020 in the mining sector. And these projects will also require environmental controls, which is where geosynthetics enter in.
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Arizona Infrastructure Needs
CE News' Civil Connection newsletter includes a piece on how the state of Arizona is expected to face a 65% population increase between now and 2032. Nearly $500 billion is thought to be needed to accommodate so much growth in just 25 years. Sectors needing address include energy, transportation and water. Transportation alone will cost upwards of $300 billion, and water and wastewater about $110 billion of the total cost.
Learn more here.;
Underground Storage
In order to accommodate stormwater management needs and expand access and parking to a rapidly expanding hospital campus in Greenville, South Carolina, a system of corrugated HDPE pipe and stone has been installed. The roughly 100,000 cubic feet of stormwater storage space underground has allowed the tight footprint of land above it to become a parking lot. Read the project study from the Plastic Pipe Institute in the latest CE News.
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Geosynthetics 2009 Deadline Extended
Geosynthetics 2009, the next chapter in the international, biennial Geosynthetics series, will be held in Salt Lake City 25-27 February 2009. Beth Wistrcill of IFAI has released information regarding an extension to the abstracts and proposals submission deadline. It is now 30 June 2008. Read the release here.
Ann Arbor Turns to Geogrids
A sensitive 1.3-mile stretch of road in Ann Arbor is to be closed today. The winding road is surrounded by woods and wetlands. To improve its safety and condition, crews will begin a two year rebuilding project that will use a geogrid wrap on the base. Geogrids allow not only a reduction in the amount of gravel needed in the base but minimize the need for crews to disturb the road shoulders.
Learn more here.;
Superfund Settlement in NOLA
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has settled a lengthy dispute involving a Superfund site in New Orleans. The Agriculture Street Landfill accepted waste for the first half of the 20th century, was closed, then was reopened in the 1960s for the burning of hurricane waste. With the new agreement, the city must maintain a geosynthetic capping system on the site and pay for any future cleanup needs.
Learn more here.;
IECA is Moving
The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) is moving its headquarters from Steamboat Springs to Denver, Colorado. The association expects to complete the move this summer. For more information, including the association's new contact information, see the release.
Post-Mining Creek Restoration
The Maryland Bureau of Mines is tackling a decades-old acid mine drainage problem. The $1.2 million project goal is to transform Bloomington's Aaron Run into a fresh water creek that can sustain fish. The first phase of the work's bid will be awarded soon with a second phase solicited and awarded closer in early 2009.
Learn more here.;
More Olympic Projects
The equestrian arena in Beijing is complete. Officials report that separation geotextiles have been installed to improve the performance of the arena floor, particularly for the dressage events, which require a bit more "spring" in the surface. The imported geotextiles have been installed along with a fine quartz sand. The design aims to guard against heavy rains that may come in August when the Games begin.
Learn more here.;
WHO on Better Construction
The World Health Organization is pushing for increased spending on hospital and school construction around the world. The goal is to make hospitals and schools not just places of day to day need and use, but places of refuge during turmoil, such as during hurricanes or tsunamis and after earthquakes. These are the facilities that must remain in tact and operational. Energy efficiency, waste management and other areas are in need of better construction support.
Learn more here.;
Jute's Market
Erosion control product manufacturers in the United States have long worked with wood and straw to create totally biodegradable options for relevant applications (generally short term). The Indian market operates this way with jute. Vinay Chand's article in Fibre2Fashion indicates that the Indicates that the Indian market has great potential but suffers from a lack of marketing and standardized testing ability.
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An Unexpected Partner
SeaWorld Adventure Parks, known more for its entertainment and education endeavors involving dolphins, killer whales, and other water-based species, is working with Florida's government to develop a fish hatchery. Much of the focus will be on sport fishing production. This may lead to other projects in the United States, as aquaculture development is getting funding now that sea fish populations are decreasing.
Learn more here.;
Fly Ash Debate
In Vernon County, Wisconsin, the Dairyland Power Cooperative is fighting with communities to get a required fly ash landfill constructed so that the coal-based plant can continue to operate within federal air quality standards. Representatives of Dairyland met with residents to explain the lining and drainage system to be used.
Learn more here.;
Alaska's Great Challenge
Erosion has been severe in Alaska, at times forcing the move of entire communities. The state is now working with the US Army Corps of Engineers to provide new seawalls, such as the $3.3 million riprap wall project in Kivalina. It is hoped that this extensive seawall construction program is just the first of many coastal erosion control operations throughout the state. More federal funds are needed, though.
Learn more here.;
Largest. Fine. Ever.
New York State has raised its bar for fines, slapping the developer of a $70 million project with a $100,000 fine for stormwater violations. It's the largest single fine issued by the state, and once again underscores how no matter how wide the net of stormwater education is cast, there will still be developers who do not establish enough oversight.
Learn more here.;
Beach Plan Scuppered
The Sconset Beach Preservation Fund in Nantucket, Massachusetts has scuppered a $23 million notice of intent to conduct beach renourishment operations. The plan would involve dredging and redepositing the dredged sand on eroding coastline. Officials are now awaiting new proposals to improve shoreline retention.
Learn more here.;
