Mining

Bernard Myles' funeral will take place at 2 pm on 14 May at Redstone Cemetery, Philanthropic Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 4DG, UK. Afterwards there will be a reception at Bletchingley Golf Club, Church Lane, Bletchingley, Surrey, RH1 4LP. Redstone Cemetery is 6 miles from London Gatwick Airport and 1 mile from Redhill station. Note that seating in the cemetery chapel is limited and that some guests may have to stand. For catering purposes Jeanne (Jan) would like to know approximately how many people will come to the reception. If you plan to come, or if you have any other questions, please e-mail or telephone John and Caroline Greenwood, (jandcgreenwood@hotmail.com; 01483 277558). No flowers please. It is planned that donations in Bernard's memory should go towards a bursary for a student of geosynthetics. Further details will be provided.

Data gathering work is nearing completion on the pumpback well system evaluation project at the Yerington/Anaconda mine. Pumpback wells were shut off in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the evaporation ponds and to fill in data gaps and further evaluate the project. Pond liners are expected to be repaired or replaced, especially where they use only old clay liners. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has reapproved D6693, "Standard Test Method for Determining Tensile Properties of Nonreinforced Polyethylene and Nonreinforced Flexible Polypropylene Geomembranes," as D6693-04(2010). This test method is designed to produce tensile property data for the control and specification of nonreinforced polyethylene and flexible nonreinforced polypropylene geomembranes. These data are also useful for qualitative characterization and for research and development. It may be necessary to modify this procedure for use in testing certain materials as recommended by the material specifications. Therefore, it is advisable to refer to that material's specification before using this test method. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has established work item WK28586, "Standard Practice for Determining the Specification Conformance of Geosynthetics." This is a work item revision to existing standard D4759-02(2007). This revision would include conformance testing for geocomposites as well. Thus potentially multiple individual components needed conformance testing as well as the final geocomposite. An example would be how to conformance test, drainage geonet geocomposites, some guidelines were given in D7273 already but are not reflected in this standard. This revision would rectify this. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) will hold the First International GSI-Asia Geosynthetics Conference at the Windsor Hotel Taichung in Taichung, Taiwan from 16-18 November 2010. The conference themes is "Geosynthetics in Infrastructure Applications." GSI's Geosynthetic Research Institute (GRI) annually holds an international event in North America. That event is nearing its 25th anniversary. The launch of an international forum serving the Asia region is exciting news. Read more.

A growing interest in oil and gas exploration and extraction in Pennsylvania has led to increased road erosion, sediment runoff and cloudy streams. Conservation districts and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) cite the erosion to unpaved roads caused by heavy mining vehicles (in excess of the unpaved road design strength). Separation geotextile use is being planned for some future road constructions and repair to support the oil and gas traffic. Learn more here.;

It is with great sadness that we must share the news of Bernard Myles' passing after a difficult and courageous battle with cancer. (We thank John Greenwood and Russell Jones for passing along news from the IGS UK Chapter.) Bernard's contributions to the IGS span some 25 years. He was a member of the first IGS Council formed in November 1983 and remained on the Council until 1992. He was later re-elected on the Council in 2000 and remained until 2008. Our thoughts are with his family in this difficult time. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has revised D6637, "Standard Test Method for Determining Tensile Properties of Geogrids by the Single or Multi-Rib Tensile Method," as D6637-10. The determination of the tensile force-elongation values of geogrids provides index property values. This test method shall be used for quality control and acceptance testing of commercial shipments of geogrids. Learn more here.;

With new products on the horizon for release and a skilled professional engineer with a new master's of business administration (MBA) degree under his belt, North American Green (NAG) has married innovation with expertise in the erosion control industry. Appointing Mr. Gabe Weaver to the new position of manager of engineering and business development will allow NAG to leverage Mr. Weaver's aptitude in civil engineering and utilize his recently earned and nationally ranked MBA education to his full potential. Read more.

The World Bank Group has announced that it has thrown open the doors to its statistical databases and is challenging the global community to use the data to create new applications and solutions to help poor people in the developing world. Recognizing that transparency and accountability are essential to development, the World Bank Group is now providing free, open, and easy access to its comprehensive set of data on living standards around the globe -- some 2,000 indicators, including hundreds that go back 50 years. The data will be available in Arabic, French and Spanish in addition to English.

The latest issue of Txtures (Spring 2010) is available. The wide-ranging publication comes from TenCate, a manufacturer of various materials, including geosynthetics and synthetic grass systems. Geosynthetic content includes involvement in mining in the Atacama Desert in Chile, Geotubes for mining tailings, the introduction of TenCate GeoDetect in North America and intelligent monitoring of dykes, avalanche proofing in Austria, and sludge dewatering in Rio de Janeiro. Read Txtures in PDF here.

I-CORP INTERNATIONAL's Ian Peggs served as an instructor earlier this week at the latest TRI-CORP Liner Integrity Survey and Assessment (LISA) course at the TRI/Environmental campus in Austin, Texas. He reports that 16 attendees took part. Also, TRI's A.J. Shah joined him in instruction during the April 12-13 days of TRI's Spring CQA week. The participants represented four installers (two from Canada), eight engineers (one from Canada, two from the Navy), two manufacturer/installers, and two practitioners. Read more in Dr. Peggs' review.

Mullen Group Ltd. ("Mullen Group" and/or the "Corporation") announced today that its wholly owned operating subsidiary Canadian Dewatering L.P. ("Canadian Dewatering") has been awarded a major contract by Suncor Energy as part of the company's new approach to tailings management at its oil sands mining operations. This is a significant project for Mullen Group, with work scheduled to begin in mid-2010.

Golder Associates Corporation ("Golder") has become one of the founding sponsors of the World Ocean Council, an international, cross-sectoral industry alliance for private sector leadership and collaboration in ocean stewardship. The company, which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2010, has joined the World Ocean Council to share its experiene in serving clients in the offshore oil and gas industry as well as the circum-Arctic region.

The newly formed World Ocean Council will lead the "Sustainable Ocean Summit" 15-17 June 2010 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The event is the only international, cross-sectoral industry conference on business leadership and sustainable development of the marine environment. The conference theme is "Reducing Risk, Increasing Sustainability: Solutions Through Collaboration." Learn more here.;

Since 1970, J.P. Giroud, Ph.D., has worked at the forefront of the geosynthetics field (including coining the terms "geotextile" and "geomembrane", which paved the way for the 'geo-terminology') and earned many accolades for his pioneering work. His many awards and key industry positions include serving as president of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), being honored with the establishment of an IGS "Giroud Lecture", being granted 'hero' status by the Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), being selected to deliver prestigious lectures (e.g. ASCE Terzaghi Lecture, Vienna Terzaghi Lecture, and Mercer Lecture), and being elected Member of the US National Academy of Engineering. This year, on April 2, Dr. Giroud was named a member of the Order of the Legion d'Honneur by a decree signed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Established in 1802, the Order is the highest decoration in France. Dr. Giroud has US/French dual citizenship. Read more.

A power company near Louisville, Kentucky has proposed to construct a 60-acre coal ash landfill near the Ohio River. The new landfill is designed to hold 5.8 million cubic yards of waste and is planned to 16 years of service life. The design is also flexible to accommodate changes that may be mandated in future years in Kentucky, such as the potential addition of a wastewater treatment facility. A "hard plastic liner" is said to be in the design and secondary containment measures can be added. Learn more here.;

The April/May 2010 issue of Geosynthetics magazine is avaiable in its digital edition for free online. Read it in PDF here. Learn more here.;

The next short course from the Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) will be held 14 May 2010 at the University of Florida's TREEO Center in Orlando. The FGI held its first short course on "Constructing with Fabricated Geomembranes" in October 2009 in Denver. That event was well-received and -attended and featured speakers from across the industry. Participants of this next edition of "Constructing with Fabricated Geomembranes" will be eligible to receive up to 8 CEUs. Learn more.

Consol's Bailey Mine located near Graysville, Pennsylvania in the southwest corner of the state pumps coal laden sediment water from its deep mines to settlement ponds which are typically underlain with clay. The settlement ponds have steep sideslopes ranging from 2H:1V to 2H:1V and CETCO lined 30 acres of side slopes around the perimeter of a pond in the Summer of 2009. Read more.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a set of actions to further clarify and strengthen environmental permitting requirements for Appalachian mountaintop removal and other surface coal mining projects, in coordination with federal and state regulatory agencies. Using the best available science and following the law, the comprehensive guidance sets clear benchmarks for preventing significant and irreversible damage to Appalachian watersheds at risk from mining activity.

In Northern Ontario, a 150-square-kilometre section of the James Bay Lowlands is referred to as the "Ring of Fire." It's a mineral-rich area known for high-grade deposits of gold, copper, nickel, zinc, chromite and palladium. But accessing the area and transporting heavy mining loads from it is complicated by super-saturated soils which some engineers compare to the soils in Florida's Everglades. Geosynthetic support systems, such as geotextiles (which are used in road-building over soft soils like peat). Engineers are evaluating numerous approaches now. Learn more here.;

AMI is pleased to invite you to consider speaking or attending the 4th international conference on Waterproof Membranes to be held from 30 November to 2 December 2010 at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany. There is a welcome reception and registration on the first evening followed by a two-day technical program. AMI's Sally Humphreys invites presentations through 28 May 2010.

The 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG) is just two months away! This quadrenniel event from the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) is a must-attend for its short courses, keynotes and networking. The conference organizers have announced an upgrade to the event website and encourage attendees to secure their conference dinner tickets now. 9ICG will provide an opportunity to learn about and discuss highly technical and scientific geosynthetics issues and their solutions. A primary objective of the conference is to present the most recent developments, improvements and new technologies from the international geosynthetics community. Learn more about the conference and register today. Learn more here.;

CETCO will sponsor the next GCL University on 30 April 2010 at the company headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Illinois (near Chicago). Highlights include a keynote address from Dr. Robert Koerner of the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), Dr. Patrick Fox on "Shear Strength and Slope Stability," and Waste Management's Bill Schubert on the "Anniversary of the first GCL use." Additional sessions in the day-long course will address hydraulic properties, chemical compatibility, test methods and GCL installation. Visit the registration page and reserve your space today. Learn more here.;