Special Series

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is embarking on a livestock farm education venture. The $8 million program will provide free technical assistance through two approved providers. The goal will be to minimize the impact on the environment of the country's ever-growing farms. The EPA estimates there are close to 240,000 "factory farms" in the United States that produce in total 500 million tons of animal waste. Learn more here.;

A new net-testing method out of Germany may have future geosynthetic testing applicability. The device and method's initial use is thought to be for safety net and transportation netting test, but geosynthetics remain a possibility too. Learn more here.;

A developer is wrestling with a city council near Hidden Valley, Indiana. While the engineer representing the developer believes the city's 60-inch pipe is more than capable of handling any additional water runoff during storm events, the city may want a retention pond. Part of the debate is spurred by the city's longtime trouble with filtering sediment and handling stormwater in ditches. Learn more here.;

The Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa has been restored as part of a 2.5-year, $15-million project. The formerly murky signature lagoon is now clean and re-landscaped after regrading, the addition of a geosynthetic liner and clean sand, and new plantings. Salt water wells refresh the water five times daily. Learn more here.;

The Montgomery Canal in Shropshire, England, is part of a test zone for restoring British Waterways. Differing sections of geotextiles and rock are being used to gauge their effect. And the work is not simply for cleaner waterways and vistas; it's part of a built and natural heritage restoration effort aimed at revitalizing rural economies. Learn more here.;

How do EIA, PP, HDPE, LLPDE and EPDM geomembranes stack up against one another? Each has its benefits, but which are the proper materials you might choose from for your application? At geosindex, you can view data on these differing geomembranes types all in one sortable table. Open only the criteria fields by which you want to select a product. Use it today. Learn more here.;

ACP's Construction Bulletin includes a spot on the I-94 work ongoing near West Fargo, North Dakota. Crews from Guthmiller Earthmoving Inc. and Strata Corporation have installed wick drains as part of essential embankment constructions. About 600,000 drains have been placed to a depth of 70 feet, reports Ivy Chang. Learn more here.;

A flash fire burned through a La Crosse, Wisconsin landfill on Thursday morning. The "fluff" of garbage, placed to protect the liner, spontaneously combusted, but the landfill has a standard response in place as operators insist it happens a few times annually. The fire was extinguished quickly. Learn more here.;

Strata Systems is pleased to announce the addition of Chance Foremen as our Midwest Regional Manager. Chance will have management responsibilities for Stratagrid and Strata Sleeve-It sales in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Chance’s background includes 13 years in the retaining wall and civil construction industry. He began his career with a construction company, working for a major retaining wall contractor in Colorado. Over the past 10 years Chance was the Regional Sales Manager for Vance Brothers, Inc. and then Synthetic Industries, selling and marketing civil construction products and geosynthetics. He is a graduate of the University of Arizona where he attended under a full scholarship for track and field. He graduated with a B.S. in Sales and Marketing/Speech Communication. This is the first time that Strata has a dedicated sales professional in the Midwest region, and we feel confident that Chance will have a significant impact on Strata’s business in that area. Contact information: Chance Foreman, 2900 Newbury Court, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126, phone: 303-346-8847, cell 303-548-0616 , fax 303-791-5033. Please join us in welcoming Chance to the growing Strata team.

Plastemart has published its weekly update of the polyethylene market in North America. The site reports that the volume is high and the price is rising, though processors are trying to resist the increase. Learn more here.;

Strata Systems' website includes an audio / visual section with case study slide shows and a downloadable video introducing users to StrataGrid. Visit the AV page and take a look at StrataGrids' data at geosindex.com. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) will host a Capitol Hill Education Forum on 23 October 2007 in Washington DC. Congressional members have been invited and various key agencies are expected to be in attendance, such as the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency. For more information, see the release.

The mining sector relies heavily on geosynthetic environmental support for tailings ponds, heap leaching operations, and remediation. To judge by Yolanda Torrisi's editorial in today's Asia Miner e-newsletter, mining will continue to be a strong growth sector for engineering needs. Last year, mining revenue rose nearly 40% to $249 billion; and with a 67% net profit. Sign up for the free e-news at Asia Miner. Learn more here.;

Solid Waste & Recycling Magazine reports that the Ontario Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the Ontario Waste Management Association (OWMA) will hold the second OWMA/SWANA Joint Training Courses and Landfill Symposium 4 - 8 November 2007, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Learn more here.;

Geosynthetics manufacturer Kolon International Corp., India, seeks an Engineer Project Manager / Site Engineer / Civil Engineer with geosynthetic experience. The job involves design and marketing responsibilities. Learn more here.;

An interesting thought from a Texas coastline article: If seas are rising, how soon must we move away from the coast? On Texas' Bolivar Peninsula, a resident notes that storms wiped out homes until they installed geotextile tubes. Could geotextile tubes buy at-risk developments more time? The tubes cannot stop rising seas, but they can reduce storm damage; and, thus, give some areas decades to plan. Learn more here.;

Montreal is creating what it calls country lanes by installing geotextiles, stones and plants where once alleys were asphalt paved. A $130,000 green fund has been tapped to start off this project, which encourages residents to add plants to the area. Delivery trucks will still have space, but parking will be forbidden. Learn more here.;

The Joe Fulton International Trade Corridor in Corpus Christi Texas is part of a multi-year trade expansion effort in the city. But the vital roadways to the Corridor required significant work with soft soils and necessary remediation. Geogrids and wick drains made it possible. Read about it in Texas Contractor. Learn more here.;

Amcol International Corporation (parent company of CETCO) will hold a conference call to discuss 3rd Quarter results on Friday, October 19 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. To RSVP or for more information, please contact Terri Cardona. Learn more here.;

Goldbelt Resources Ltd. of Canada and GBM Minerals Engineering Consultants of London are moving forth on a cyanide-in-leach (CIL) scheme for the Inata Gold Project at Belahouro, Burkina Faso. An environmental study is being carried out on whether an HDPE liner should be used with the tailing pond and dam or whether the area's clay is thick enough for containment. Learn more here.;

School 41 in Rochester, New York is celebrating Columbus Day with a nearby bang. Demolition work will take place in neighboring Kodak Park, and to protect the school from damage workers will wrap the school in cushioning geotextiles. Learn more here.;

An Ohio landfill continues to accept waste even though a fire has been suspected in a waste cell for months. Now the US Environmental Protection Agency has told operators Countrywide to install a firebreak. The company must use only a 13-acre cell removed from the fire so as to minimize risk of the fire spreading. The company insists it is not a fire. Neither the liner nor venting pipes show signs of damage. Learn more here.;

Fiberweb, GSE and Propex have posted their product data openly at geosindex.com. There is no fee to use the site and registration is never requested. Helping you narrow choices, users may open and close data fields, sort data, and highlight products of interest. Also, the site includes supply / distribution information on the materials and companies. Help is available from the site moderators. Learn more here.;

Dr. Julie Soden of the University of Ulster has been awarded almost $800,000 in funding to continue her research into combining plastics and composite technology with technical textiles and renewable materials. Her current design is producing strong, sustainable materials that draw upon three-dimensional woven structures and might be used in roads and walls. Learn more here.;

In Saint-Damien de Brandon, Quebec, a green municipal fund has been tapped to conduct a brownfield study. The city hopes to find a remediation strategy that will enable residential use of the land once occupied by a sawmill and wood preserving plant. The site covers 416,000 square feet. Read about it at HazMat Management. Learn more here.;