Special Series

The International Forum on Water Environmental Governance in Asia aims to promote water environment governance by promoting dialogue among various stakeholders in Asian monsoon regions (NE Asia, SE Asia, South Asia), developing human resources and strengthening ties for the future amongst people responsible for improving water environment governance in this region. The next symposium is 14-15 March 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand. Learn more here.;

The International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE) Capacity Building Program on Water Governance seeks to strengthen capacity for the design, development, implementation, and enforcement of domestic requirements to improve water resources. Geosynthetics can play a key role in water conservation (lining reservoirs and canals), dam safety and lifespan extension (as liners), and separating pollution elements from clean water supplies. Learn more here.;

The International Comminsion on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) produces a quarterly newsletter containing select articles, key outcomes/reports of the ICID events and other news items. Ian D. Peggs of I-CORP INTERNATIONAL has authored an article titled Optimum Use of Geomembrane Materials in Irrigation Canal Lining in the 1st issue of 2007. Learn more here.;

Gundle/SLT Environmental, Inc (GSE) announces fourth quarter and year end results. See the release for details. Learn more here.;

Houston-based Gundle/SLT Environmental Inc., a global manufacturer and marketer of geosynthetic technologies such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes for waste containment, will hold a conference call on Friday, March 2, at 10 a.m. to announce its fourh quarter and 2006 year-end financials. For more information, please see the release. Learn more here.;

Researchers at the University of Nevada - Reno have conducted a shake test on a four-span, full-bridge model in simultaneous analysis of transverse and longitudinal damage. Three 50-ton-capacity shake tables were used for a 110-ft-long concrete bridge to simulate a severe seismic event. Read about it in ENR. Learn more here.;

Owens Corning and Saint-Gobain reps jointly announced that they have signed a joint-venture agreement to merge Owens Corning’s Reinforcements Business and Saint-Gobain’s Reinforcements and Composites Business (a part of the entity known as Vetrotex) into a new company that will be named “OCV Reinforcements." Learn more here.;

The Wolf Creek Dam on Burkesville, Ohio's Lake Cumberland is on the US Army Corp of Engineers list for dams in danger. Repairs are ongoing to prevent future problems, but Wolf Creek is just one of many dams in need of rethinking. Worldwide, old and new dam lifespans and safety could be well-improved through the use of protective geosynthetic linings. One of many lined examples: the Salt Springs Dam. Go to International Water Power & Dam Construction's website for more information on the Salt Springs Dam: http://www.waterpowermagazine.com/story.asp?storyCode=2034837 Learn more here.;

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced a venue change from Los Angeles to Chicago for Greenbuild 2007, 7 - 9 November 2007. Los Angeles presented an unfortunate scheduling conflict. But Chicago has been a leader in green technologies in recent years, including an ambitious greenroof plan. For more information, please read the release. Learn more here.;

In its latest Q & A exchange with its readers, UK-based Horse and Hound addresses arena design, including the important role of a geotextile base for soil separation. Read it online. Learn more here.;

Palm Beach County, Florida's newest public golf course is a treeless, par-72 course built atop membrane-capped waste cells. The former dumpsite now features 400 feet of elevation changes for an area of the country that is almost entirely without hills. Read about it in the Palm Beach Post. Learn more here.;

Unchecked sediment runoff from a commercial development has caused 'devastating' damage to the Hickory Creek Barrens Nature Preserve in New Lenox, Illinois. Improperly installed (perhaps improperly specified) and absent control devices are the cause. A lawsuit is expected. Cleanup and more stringent erosion protection will be needed. Learn more here.;

In Monterey County, California, farm fields have been the scene of considerable theft and field vandalism. Joyriders have ripped up a number of fields causing erosion issues. Might there perhaps be geosynthetic solutions that help provide not only erosion protection but some security along field edges? Read about it in the Californian. Learn more here.;

Michael Harding, CPESC, a technical consultant, who has been evaluating, developing and applying cost-effective materials and techniques to control soil erosion and sediment for more than 30 years, has received the 2007 Sustained Contributor Award from the International Erosion Control Association (IECA)

Industry magazines and conference proceedings provide a good forum for project showcases and geosynthetic engineering discussions. A number of articles and papers are abstracted and linked to within geosynthetica's Publications database. For example, you might type "Land and Water" in the publication field or "Smith" in the author field and search. Use the link below to reach the database or the link at the top of the home page under Technical Information.

Some things other than sediment do trickle down. State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates upon municipalities are having an effect in the stormwater and pollution control field, as seen in Pekin, Illinois. Learn more here.;

The latest version of the Federal Highway Administration's Hydraulic Engineering Circular (HEC) #15 is available. The design manual focuses on roadside channels. This third edition was updated in 2006 by Roger T. Kilgore and George K. Cotton. Learn more here.;

Polymer Group, Inc. announces U.S. plant consolidations to improve cost structure and performance. Learn more here.;

New business ideas, current trends and ideal networking opportunities await participants of the Fourth Annual Principles of Storm Water Management and Erosion Control Conference in Rapid City, S.D., March 14-15, 2007.

What to do during the long winter months on a farm? Plenty of maintenance. Reid Folsom of the Fauquier Times-Democrat suggests a number of projects, including the installation of geotextiles beneath gravel on paths that are often muddy during warmer months. Learn more here.;

TRI and I-CORP (T-CLIC) are presently planning two electrical liner integrity survey (LIS) courses, one at TRI in Austin, TX, 19-20 April, and another in Albany, NY in mid-June. These two-day classroom and field sessions are the first two parts of a three part accreditation procedure for LIS operators. To attend these courses or for additional information please contact Rich Lacey (rlacey@tri-env.com) or Ian D. Peggs (icorp@geosynthetic.com).

Today is the Call for Papers deadline for two conferences: GeoAmericas 2008, 2-5 March 2008 Cancun, Mexico and 8th Thermoplastic Elastomers Topical Conference 2007, 17-19 September 2007, Akron, USA.

Following the Geotextiles and Geomembranes Editorial Board meeting held in Yokohama in September 2006, it was decided to give recognition to some of the best papers published in Geotextiles and Geomembranes. The Editorial Board was charged with selecting what they considered to be the “Best Paper” published in the Journal in 2005… Learn more here.;

Half of the acid rock in Pennsylvania's extensive remediation and road work has been covered, though inclimate weather has interrupted the project. The 26 January 2007 update from the Centre Daily Times includes a photograph of the welded HDPE liner on site. Learn more here.;

Is a fire actually burning within a landfill in Ohio's Stark County? The rise in heat and gas may be the result of aluminum waste reactions, or it may be a fire. A state legislator hopes to hold up further permits until the threat is fully evaluated and its threats, such as to the liner integrity, are known. Learn more here.;