Soil Reinforcement

In Nevada, lawmakers in the state house have passed ACR 32, a bill to demand that Congress repair the canal. When the canal suffered a breach last year that led to nearly 600 homes flooded. The US Bureau of Reclamation has been unable to date to decide on a long-term repair solution. Geosynthetics are certainly a possibility. The Bureau has previously conducted a 10-year study on canal performance with geosynthetic lining and found significantly supportive data for geosynthetic adoption. Learn more here.;

In Indiana, the Union-Go Dairy, which experienced a very frustrating but fascinating animal waste lagoon failure in 2008 has received approval to expand its farm with the installation of new lagoons. Following that phase of the project, the dairy will work with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) on what to do about the failed lagoon. One of the interesting aspects to the whales that developed in Union-Go's installation is that they were concentrated on one half of the lagoon. Learn more here.;

On 11 May 2009, US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) adminstrator Lisa P. Jackson's testified before the United States Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to defend the administration's $10 billion+ budget. The new budget, as proposed, includes $3.9 billion for water infrastructure.

The week opens with two work item announcements from ASTM International. Both items are revision proposals from Committee D18 on Soil and Rock and are related to rolled erosion control products: WK24125, Revision of D6459-07 Standard Test Method for Determination of Rolled Erosion Control Product (RECP) Performance in Protecting Hillslopes from Rainfall-Induced Erosion; and WK24126, Revision of D6460-07 Standard Test Method for Determination of Rolled Erosion Control Product (RECP) Performance in Protecting Earthen Channels from Stormwater-Induced Erosion. Track the latest on our ASTM Update page.

SKZ, with scientific committee support from Cemagref and the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), announces the 3rd International Symposium on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, to be held at the Fortress Marienberg in Würzburg, Germany 15-16 September 2010. Abstract and papers for oral or poster presentations are invited on the following topics: Application / case studies (Landfills, Canals, Reservoirs / Dams, Transportation Infrastructure) • Durability / Lifetime • Laboratory testing • Performance (Cation exchange, Desiccation, Experience from excavation • Regulations / Approvals. Abstracts must be submitted via e-mail to: gbr-c2k10@skz.de no later than 30 September 2009. View the flyer in PDF.

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) has announced a worldwide call for requests-for-proposals (RFPs) focusing on "innovative" geosynthetics research and development projects. This will be the second class of awardees in the GSI Fellowship series, the having been awarded in 2008. Multiple awards of up to $10,000 per year will be given. Each is renewable, pending an annual written report, to a total amount of $25,000 per student. Read the call from Jamie Koerner and Robert Koerner.

Approximately 50 people from North America, the United Kingdom, Austria, Spain and Norway, attended Applied Market Information's (AMI) "Plastics in Underground Pipe 2009" conference in Orlando, Florida on 6 and 7 May. Pipe conferences are invariably good events to learn about the performance characteristics of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for extension to geomembranes and other geosynthetics. This conference was no exception. Read Ian Peggs' review.

France-based Cemagref's Hydraulic Structures team has been using a new experimental platform since 2006 to test leak-detection systems in levees. The platform, financed by the Carnot fund, acts as a stimulus for a number of partnership research projects on structure monitoring. The platform was originally used for the Hydrodetect partnership-research project. TenCate helped coordinate the work, which has been assessing the capacity of a geotextile fabric equipped with fiber optic detection technology. Paul Royet of Cemagref writes on the latest experimental installations and how this new technology may be the future of hydraulic structure leak detection systems. Read the article here.

The France-based public research institute Cemagref has redesigned its logo as part of its new 2020 Strategic Plan. Gone is the old hexagon with its furrows and three colors. In its place, Cemagref’s logo uses a simpler, more modern design. The new oval, Cemagref reports, symbolizes the Earth and its cycles. Blue and green colors reflect nature. And further reinforcing these themes, the words “water and land management” have been added to stress the institute’s environmental-oriented, multi-discipline work. Learn more here.;

The Quality Data Oversight and Review (QDOR) program is accepting rolled erosion control products for review during the August 2009 meeting of the Erosion Control Technology Council. All products received by 3 July 2009 will be eligible for review. Anything submitted after that would be reviewed during the December 2009 meetings. Read more in the release.

Royal Ten Cate announces that the number of dividend rights that grant entitlement to 1 new share has been fixed at 33 dividend rights of an ordinary share with a par value of EUR 2.50. With reference to the press release dated 9 April 2009 in relation to the payment of dividend for the financial year 2008, Royal Ten Cate announces that with regard to the stock dividend and the optional dividend the number of dividend rights that grant entitlement to 1 new share has been fixed at 33 dividend rights of an ordinary share with a par value of EUR 2.50.

Ian Peggs writes on the four criteria of performing a successful geoelectric integrity survey on a double-liner system, and ways in which designs may hinder or prevent a proper leak location survey.

The massive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is having a considerable (and beneficial) impact on construction markets and the environment. Few projects are so ready to be tackled than those on the National Priorities List (NPL)—aka, Superfund projects—and more proactive environmental management designs. The effect of this is certainly being felt in the geosynthetics industry, which provides many of the vital containment, reinforcement and erosion control technologies that these environmentally sensitive and environmentally damaged sites need. (Continued.)

The Tennessee state legislature may be very close to the ratification of a new bill to require the installation of geosynthetic liners in all new or future expansions to coal ash storage facilities. Kingston, Tennessee, readers will recall, was the site of a massive coal ash pond breach in December 2008. That facility’s failure released 5.4 million cubic yards of contaminated ash across 275 acres. The estimated cleanup cost, announced in mid-February, will be $525-$825 million. Tennessee’s House of Representatives has signed off on the bill (SB1559), but changes in the bill’s language means it must revert to the state senate for an approval vote or further amendments. (Continued.)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (generally known as the Recovery Act or the economic stimulus package) has led to significantly more open discussion about infrastructure needs in the United States. American infrastructure really is in disrepair, so the discussion and wide-scale funding are welcomed. One interesting result of all this attention is how it has thrown light upon projects and segments of the country that have long been overlooked. Take, for example, American Indian reservations. (Continued.)

On the northern end of the Persian Gulf state of Qatar, the world's largest natural gas conversion facility is being constructed. Many challenges present themselves at this site, however: the high temperatures of the environment, the high temperature of environmentally aggressive liquids that must be contained on site, the sandy substrate, and much more. On the geosynthetic side of things, engineers have been challenged by the selection of geomembranes that will survive in the environment and meet the project's overall environmental sustainability goals. The found their answer in ethylene interpolymer alloy (EIA)-enhanced geomembranes. The expertise of Solmax International and LG Chem have combined to make the site a success. Roughly 160,000 sq. m of geomembrane have been installed by Arabian Environmental Construction (AEC). Work will be on-going through 2009.

Andrew Aho, executive director of the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA), reports that John Henderson of Tencate Geosynthetics has been re-elected as Chairman the GMA Executive Council. This will be John's second term. "We appreciate John’s service and look forward to his continued leadership as Chairman," Aho says. In the past couple years, GMA has made great strides in communication with US Congressional legislators and infrastructure committees.

The Spring 2009 issue of MiraFacts, a publication from TenCate Geosynthetics, has been released. This issue contains stories on how geosynthetics help reduce a carbon footprint, new haul roads brochure, a technical note on loading, two case cases, upcoming events, and more. (Continued.)

Quick word out of the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA): John Henderson of Tencate Geosynthetics has been re-elected as Chairman the GMA Executive Council. This will be John's second term. Writes GMA executive director, Andrew Aho, "We appreciate John’s service and look forward to his continued leadership as Chairman." In the past couple years, GMA has made great strides in communication with US Congressional legislators and infrastructure committees. Learn more here.;

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson is scheduled to lead the U.S. delegation to the Group of Eight Environment Ministers Meeting held this year in Siracusa, Italy. This marks her first international trip as EPA Administrator. Administrator Jackson will represent the United States among Environment Ministers from the Group of Eight (Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Canada, and Russia) as well as 12 additional Environment Ministers and leaders of international organizations from around the world. Read more.

“Proper design and installation are essential for geosynthetic structures to perform effectively,” says Dov Leshchinsky, a professor at the University of Delaware. Leshchinsky, who many in the geosynthetic user community know through his reinforced structures software, is the subject of a profile in the 20 April 2009 issue of U Daily. Learn more here.;

Professional society and business newsletters are a fantastic way to keep current on international events. Geosynthetica, for example, grew out of I-CORP International’s 1990s newsletter Industry Insight. In the past week, two interesting newsletters have come out. (Continued.)

On 15 April 2009, US EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced $600 million in new funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for the cleanup of hazardous waste (Superfund) sites across the nation. In most cases, this recovery act funding will accelerate the hazardous waste cleanup already underway at the sites and fund new clean-up projects. It will also jumpstart the local economy by creating jobs in the site areas. (Continued.)

When the United States Congress, working with President Obama’s administration, released the massive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the staggering billions it opened for allocation were in part to go to “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects. Whether the nation's most polluted sites would benefit, however, was not clear. On Wednesday, April 15, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced $600 million of the Recovery Act funds would be made available to National Priorities List (NPL) projects—otherwise known as Superfund. Chris Kelsey reports.

TenCate™ Geosynthetics has made innovative improvements to the Mirafi® S-Series nonwoven geotextiles by providing improved UV resistance and introducing a variety of new color offerings. Mirafi® S-Series nonwoven geotextiles are used in a wide variety of applications in the environmental market. These include use in critical subsurface drainage systems, soil separation, permanent erosion control, protection of HDPE and other geomembranes in landfill construction. (Continued.)