Special Series

Italy has one of the world's strongest geosynthetics manufacturing bases, but that hasn't helped the city of Naples where aging landfills have been shut due to safety concerns, new landfills have been blocked by residents who don't want a landfill sited near them, and crime syndicates that profit from a black-market disposal economy--which itself may lead to severe safety issues and a need for remediation. Learn more here.;

To better serve member needs, the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) has developed a new quarterly member publication, Environmental Connection. The magazine will be distributed to IECA’s 3,500 members beginning in October 2007. Environmental Connection will deliver more news, technical and product information than its predecessor News To Use. The new magazine will include regular feature columns, industry news and case studies. All technical information will be peer-reviewed by a select group of IECA members to ensure quality and accuracy. “Through surveys our members told us that they wanted more technical information and case studies,” said Becky Milot-Bradford, association development director for IECA. “Since Environmental Connection will serve as another form of IECA education, we felt it was important for the content to go through the same type of review process as our conference and online training courses.” Regular columns in Environmental Connection will help keep members informed about new developments critical to the success of their career and business. The latest erosion, sediment control and stormwater technology will be reviewed by Julie Etra, CPESC, in her new column “Tech Talk”. IECA will offer contractors and small business owners helpful advice through “Business Matters” written by Judy Guido of Guido & Associates, the Green Industry’s leading business management coach and consultant. Guido presented a successful session, at Environmental Connection 2007, IECA’s annual conference and expo, which addressed similar topics. Members will be kept abreast of the latest erosion and sediment control scientific research with “Research Briefs” by Rich McLaughlin, Ph.D. and his colleagues at the Soil Science Department of North Carolina State University. “Industry News” by Jim Niemeier will continue to inform members of the latest mergers, acquisitions, personnel changes and awards in the erosion, sediment control and stormwater industry. Members are encouraged to participate in the magazine by submitting case studies focusing on lessons learned in the field. All case studies are peer-reviewed by the editorial review board. “This is a ‘by the members, for the members’ type of publication,” said Milot-Bradford. “By participating in the process they not only get to help others, but they get to say ‘Hey, look what I did!’” In addition to the print format, members will be able to access articles, case studies and columns online by logging on to http://www.ieca.org or by clicking the link below. Learn more here.;

Tensar's Triton marine mattresses have been used in numerous foundation designs to great success. The Amelia Island, Florida beach restoration project is exemplary. Learn more here.;

Technical Textiles International has prepared a comprehensive preview of the Techtextil and Avantex shows which are shortly taking place in Frankfurt., Germany. The preview is available completely free of charge in .pdf format. Learn more here.;

geosynthetica is an Educational Partner to June's Construction Specification Institute (CSI) Show in Baltimore. ESCN.tv includes a profile of this involvement in this week's broadcast. Learn more here.;

Beginning in July, CPESC, Inc. will team with the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) to offer the Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) exam review course through IECA’s online training web site ieca.webex.com. “As our programs continue to grow, it is becoming obvious that we cannot satisfy the demand for our exam reviews through traditional instructor-led classes,” said John Brown, CPESC program manager for CPESC, Inc. To accommodate the demand, online training sessions, known as webinars, allow professionals to take the exam review course over a six week period from their home or office. Webinars in this series range from 45 to 90 minutes. The exam review sessions are divided into six modules: · Site Planning and Management · Rules and Regulations · Erosion Prediction · Runoff Management · Soil Stabilization (Erosion Control) · Sediment Control Erosion and sediment control professionals can take the entire series or use individual modules to review specific topics when preparing for the exam. “At conferences and in telephone conversations, I get requests for exam reviews in parts of the U.S. and Canada where none are scheduled. I also speak with a number of erosion and sediment professionals who are unable to take time off from work in order to participate in our reviews,” said Brown. “Offering exam reviews by webinar enables these folks to participate in ways that satisfy their needs.” Although the exam review course is designed to help professionals prepare for the certification exams, the course also serves as a great overall review for anyone working in the erosion and sediment control industry, according to Kim M. Kline, IECA technical resources director. As CPESC, Inc. gains an understanding of how to manage exam reviews by webinar, they may offer other CPESC, Inc. exam reviews using this method, said Brown. Webinars also are being used as a convenient way to earn the Professional Development Units (PDUs) certified professionals need to keep their certification current. Through ieca.webex.com IECA offers webinars on a variety of training topics including: Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) writing, implementation and maintenance; low impact development (LID); construction site inspection programs; rainwater harvesting; stormwater BMP maintenance; and more. Visit the link below for a current listing of live and recorded sessions. Learn more here.;

Sauk County, Wisconsin's old landfill currently sits on the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund list. The County has requested it be removed, as cleanup and geomembrane capping was performed last year. But officials want an engineer's review, particularly in regards to the state of groundwater contamination. The site was marked for Superfund after an unlined portion of the landfill was found to have leaked toluene and benzene. Learn more here.;

The Bulletin, a publication from Australia, has published a piece called "Seven Ways to Save Your World." One idea put forth is residential "rubble drains." These geotextile covered installations use broken glass, brick, tile and such to create an underground filter for rainwater. The writer claims they utilize five times more water for the lawn than conventional landscapes that feed water into stormwater systems. Learn more here.;

Laconia, New Hampshire's landfill became a concern after the recent heavy storms along the East Coast. Officials were worried that the landfill's cap had been damaged. The site already was in need of $245,000 of repairs stemming from storms in 2005. But subsequent inspection has shown that the April 2007 storms did not cause further damage. Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) has announced that Executive Director Ben Northcutt will not be seeking renewal of his contract with the association. He will fulfill the term of his contract which ends June 30. Read the full release.

The current Economist examines Canada's oil sands reserves: some 300 billion barrels-worth. Harvesting it has become economically feasible, and this is creating significant development pressure. (Article available to Economist subscribers at http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_JNPTRJQ.) It reminded us that in October 2005 Terrafix and Naue published an article on the residential boom that has accompanied oil sands exploration--and the role geosynthetics are playing. Read the Auburn Lake article on Terrafix's project page via the link below. Learn more here.;

Henderson County, North Carolina would like to take over enforcement of erosion and stormwater pollution controls. Not only would it relieve the state of the monitoring burdon--only one state engineer is assigned to the 19 mountain counties--it would give the counties much needed revenue on erosion control-related development fees. Learn more here.;

Looking for geotextiles? Propex Geotex® and Petromat® geotextile data have just been added to the ASTM-ready geotextile products section of geosindex.com. Get all the information on trapezoid tearing strength, puncture and much more. Learn more here.;

A sewage treatment facility in Kent County, Michigan, lost 15 million gallons of sewage in March, though to where no one knew. Until now. Green dye mixed with 1000 gallons of water was fed through an 8-inch-diameter hole in the 1980s-installed liner. The dye appeared in a swamp nearby. No environmental damage was detected. Officials are now faced with a $200,000 repair, but it will include modernizing the liner system to current technology and standards. Learn more here.;

Australia's Murray River and the Murray-Darling Basin have been in decline due to drought and erosion. The effects have been felt on both the river and its tributaries. Millions are being put into a streambank revegetation plan--but it's unclear whether officials will go beyond the press-cited control methods of timber groynes and rocks along the bank. Learn more here.;

The site of the 85,000-square-foot Galileo Math and Science Academy in Idaho presented construction crews with an interesting challenge: an artesianal spring was discovered on the property and the water table was unexpectedly high. Two seepage pits lined with Firestone's EPDM PondGard provided the environmentally-sound solution. Learn more here.;

A Philadelphia-headquartered law firm is investing more heavily in its "green hospital" initiative. Among the many services the firm is providing the healthcare industry one finds erosion control and stormwater compliance. As fines mount in all industries, more law firms may hire stormwater experts and provide not only legal response for clients but preventative compliance consulting. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetic Accreditation Institute (GAI) notified Propex Inc. that its Nashville, Georgia laboratory has been granted laboratory accreditation for GAI-LAP certification. The accreditation recognizes the Propex testing laboratory as being competent to carry out specific tests which are individually accredited. The GAI framed the accreditation programs around two international known standards; ISO 9003 and ISO Guide 25. The GAI-LAP was created to have a two fold effect on geosynthetic testing. First, it gives credibility to those laboratories that are properly equipped and prepared to do the respective tests. Second, it eliminates those laboratories that are not equipped to do specific tests. Propex has always been committed to quality, demonstrated through independent certification, internal testing and environmental excellence. In 1994, Propex was one of a select group of construction material companies to achieve ISO-9002 certification, given by the International Standards Organization. Today, we’re proud to announce our accreditation for GAI-LAP certification. Strict manufacturing specifications, quality control monitoring and laboratory testing ensure our products consistently meet or exceed the most demanding construction specifications. With this accreditation, our customers are assured Propex products are tested in compliance with current ASTM methodology and that our quality control test equipment is properly calibrated. And, it is yet another way Propex is demonstrating market leadership. Learn more here.;

Looking for geotextiles? Propex Geotex® and Petromat® geotextile data have just been added to the ASTM-ready geotextile products section of geosindex.com. Get all the information on trapezoid tearing strength, puncture and much more. Learn more here.;

T-CLIC's course is filling up fast. If you plan on attending, please take a moment to register on-line or complete the .pdf registration form and fax to (512) 263-2558. This unique 2-day training event will be held in Latham, New York on June 13-14, 2007. The event is cosponsored by the New York State Association for Solid Waste Management and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Division of Solid & Hazardous Materials. Learn more here.;

Wisconsin's Dane County has only one landfill. The county wants to extend its service life and usable volume, so the landfill is transitioning to being a bioreactor. Liquid will be injected into it to encourage decomposition and methane production (for energy harvests). Some opposition has greeted this plan. While the Capital Times article decently summarizes the issue, it ignores discussion of modern geosynthetic lining systems for landfills. Only clay liners are mentioned. Learn more here.;

One certainly hopes East Tennessee is not interpretted by newcomers as bleakly as it's presented in Cormac McCarthy's novels Child of God, Outer Dark, Suttree and the Orchard Keeper. But one also hopes that East Tennessee's development boom and population growth does not leave a landscape blighted by erosion and stormwater pollution. Learn more here.;

The PVC Geomembrane Institute (PGI) and CETCO's "Constructing with GCLs and PVC Geomembranes" training course made the list of business opportunities in the Oregonian newspapers weekly roundup. (The PGI can be found under Thursday.) These announcements are important, for the geosynthetic industry has historically flown below the radar of the popular press. Learn more here.;

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper and some supporting ministers have put forth a science and technology mobilization plan. The plan aims to aid entrepreneurship, knowledge growth and dissemination, and access of people to these key fields. A major part of the plan is for involvement between higher education institutions, government and private industries. Among the many sectors noted you'll find geosynthetics. Learn more here.;

Henderson County, North Carolina, like many counties and cities, is just now putting in motion stormwater regulations that complement the more stringent goals of the Clean Water Act and NPDES Phase II. But who will enforce them? Most cities and counties do have enough money and personnel. Surface runoff is the number one source of water pollution in North Carolina. The pollutants in turn increase the rate of bank erosion in streams. Learn more here.;