Special Series

Emirates Investment and Development PSC (Emivest), as part of its expansion and investment plans has acquired a 51 percent stake in the BMC Gulf Group. Among its major business segments BMC counts the production of geosynthetics with a specialty in geomembranes. Learn more here.;

Is it a mid-life crisis already for the US Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Program? The program aims to clean the most threatening pollution sites. Today, Superfund turns 25. But things aren't turning up entirely roses. Brownfields, which are often far less polluted than Superfund sites, are receiving an increasing amount of cleanup and redevelopment funding. Some suggest that this movement is eroding the Superfund's effectiveness and progress. Go to the link below to learn more about the 25th Anniversary or cut and paste the following link into your browser for a news article on Brownfields: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0101-02.htm Learn more here.;

Submissions are being accepted through 26 February 2007 for the Green Roof Awards of Excellence. In addition to design, awards are also offered for research and civic involvement. The 5th Annual International Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference takes place April 29 - May 1 2007 in Minneapolis. Go to the link below for information on the awards or cut and paste the folowing link to go to the conference site: http://greenroofs.org/minneapolis/index.php. Learn more here.;

The purpose of IAGI’s Certified Welding Technician (CWT) programs is to recognize the knowledge, experience and skill of installers in HDPE and Reinforced geomembrane welding. The programs reward those who qualify with industry recognition. Congratulations to Aquatan Engineers who are the first in South Africa to receive Master Seamer certification. For more on the CWT program, please go to the link below. Learn more here.;

The IFAI Bookstore has placed 24 geosynthetic titles on special ahead of the Geosynthetics 2007 event. Online orders placed before January 9 will receive a 10% discount. For more information, visit the IFAI Bookstore Web site and contact Barb Connett to verify titles are applicable to the offer. Learn more here.;

The Stevens County Landfill expansion cell in Washington State cost $3 million. Officials estimate that $1 million was saved on the final cost through the installation of a geosynthetic liner system instead of simply compacted clay, as had been done in the past. The Statesman-Examiner's article includes strong supporting words from the public works director for this design decision. Learn more here.;

In order to promote the Australian Centre for Geomechanics' initiatives to advance mine safety, please find ACG's 2007 event schedule at the link below.

A message from Boyd Ramsey, Vice President of Technical Sales: Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very pleased to inform you that GSE Lining Technology, along with our partners in the Bentofix™ GCL joint venture have expanded our production capacity to include Bentofix production in the USA. Previously, all of the Bentofix GCL materials sold into the North American market were produced at our Canadian facility in Barrie, Ontario. Effective today, GSE has added capability for Bentofix GCL production at our plant located in Spearfish, South Dakota. The new production facility at Spearfish is completely operational and has the capabilities to manufacture all of the Bentofix product varieties. The new geographic location offers several advantages; lower freight expenses, particularly to the western and southern United States, easier documentation, with none of the requirements of crossing the US-Canadian border and closer proximity to the Wyoming bentonite mines. We hope that you will take advantage of our new facilities to supply your GCL needs; we expect these changes to allow us to be more responsive to marketplace demands while maintaining our standards with the highest quality GCL products supplied to the industry. Data sheets and other information on our products can be obtained from our website at the link below. Learn more here.;

The technical session reports from the 8th International Conference on Geosynthetics (September 2006, Yokohama, Japan) are available at the IGS Japan Chapter website. geosynthetica.net's Chris Kelsey served as a reinforced walls session co-chair. His report can be read at the link below. Once on this page, you may scroll up to see links to all the session reports. Learn more here.;

The Great Lakes region shared by the US and Canada suffers from aging sewage infrastructures. Most of the region fails to properly separate stormwater and sewage, and the result is a heavy discharge of untreated sewage into these vital waters. The Sierra Legal Defense Fund has issued a report with grades for and notes about the sewage infrastructure of cities of interest along the Great Lakes. A release is found here and includes a link to the free, downloadable (PDF) report. Learn more here.;

The city of Daphne, Alabama received recognition from the Baldwin County Environmental Advisory Board for creating a city position in 2006 for an erosion/sediment control and stormwater specialist. In its annual awards, the Board noted that the city's dedication to monitoring BMP use, such as silt fence installation and inlet protection, had made a noticeable difference. Positions of this nature are on the increase as municipalities take on more NPDES oversight. Learn more here.;

Becky Johnson's article in the Smokey Mountain News is aptly titled: "Haywood Waters Down Slope Ordinance." The article details the reluctance of city councilmembers to demand approval from engineering and erosion professionals for earth moving plans when they involve slopes and potential erosion--this at a time when state fines are mounting for poorly executed developments and rapid increase in sediment pollution to waterways. Learn more here.;

At Gulfport's Naval Construction Battalion Center, the discovery of a large stretch of dioxin-contaminated soil seems only to have been greeted with concrete capping layers--up to six feet--and the experimental injection of petroleum-eating bacteria. Were geosynthetics even considered? Learn more here.;

If you were unable to attend the 8th International Geosynthetics Conference in Yokohama, Japan, September 18-25, 2006, and didn't get the conference proceedings CD, click the link below to read all the paper abstracts presented at the conference. Includes a link to the 8ICG "Real Time" Conference review.

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) has published its yearly issue of Plastics Engineering: Additives Annual 2006. Also in the issue: A Review of Additives for Plastics - Colorants, Additives Market on the Mend, SPE Thermoforming Conference, New Recipes for Composites and Plastics Patents.

Geosynthetics 2007 at https://www.geosynthetica.net/calendar.asp?search_key=c562 (January, Washington DC) and EC 07 at https://www.geosynthetica.net/calendar.asp?search_key=c587 (February, Reno, Nevada) are just around the corner. Be sure to confirm your registrations and hotel rooms.

A number of geosynthetic companies that are able to operate on multiple continents now make their Web sites available in three or more languages. Some who are actively expanding their reach this way: Atarfil, Solmax, Engepol, and Naue.

geosIndex.com is devoted to posting geosynthetic product data on the Web. For example, visit the site at the link below for the latest product data on CETCO's geosynthetic clay liners. Learn more here.;

According to the Canadian Mining Journal, the proceedings for "Challenges in Acidic Drainage: Case Studies on Mitigation Technologies and Current Research" are available. The workshop was held earlier this year at the University of Nova Scotia. Some of the discussion involves the long-term performance of geomembrane covers. For more information, visit CMJ. Learn more here.;

The Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) was founded in 1984 with the ultimate goal of preventing catastrophic dam failures. Recognizing that one of the keys to achievement of this goals is the development of well-trained technical persons with an interest in one of the many scientific fields related to dam safety, ASDSO established its Dam Safety Scholarship Program in 1992. During the 2007-2008 academic year, up to $10,000 will be awarded to selected outstanding undergraduates based on the following qualifying criteria: U.S. citizenship; Full-time enrollment at the senior level during the 2007/2008 school year in an accredited civil engineering program, or in a related field as determined by ASDSO; Demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in hydraulics, hydrology or geotechnical disciplines, or in another discipline related to the design, construction and operation of dams; A cumulative grade point average of 2.5 for the first three years of college; The recommendation of his or her academic advisor; and; Submission of a typewritten essay on ASDSO and the importance of dam safety. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 30, 2007, and announcement of successful candidates will be made in June 2007. The application is available on the ASDSO Web site at the link below. Learn more here.;

BBA Aviation plc (previously BBA Group plc) is pleased to announce the completion of the demerger of Fiberweb plc and the consolidation of BBA Aviation's ordinary share capital. Learn more here.;

ASTM International announces the new, digital version of its entire library of technical information in digitized format. This new information repository enables users to access nearly all of the ASTM literature spanning more than 140 technical committees and more than 100 years. This dynamic and versatile online resource includes: * 945 Special Technical Publications, * 50+ manuals, * 13,000 journal articles, * 40,000 papers and chapters; * And more. From metals, petroleum and construction to the environment, forensics and consumer products, ASTM’s comprehensive and authoritative collection of work is an invaluable resource. Users of its Digital Library will find a self- service environment with the capability of locating a few articles or chapters, an entire book, or the entire library related to a particular topic. Flexible subscription options, which meet a variety of needs, include: * Complete ASTM library of books, journals, peer-reviewed papers, and articles, * Selected topic(s)—whatever area of expertise, access every ASTM book, article, or paper within that subject, * The entire library of STPs, * The entire library of manuals and monographs, * The entire library of journal articles, * Any combination of 25, 50, or 100 papers or chapters, or, * Download individual papers, chapters, and books as needed. Full text searching provides detailed search results. Searching by author, symposia, committee, author, abstract, or title are also available. For more information, go to the continued link below. Subscriptions to the ASTM Digital Library are available through ASTM Customer Service (phone: 610/832-9585; fax: 610/832-9555; service@astm.org), or online at www.astm.org. Learn more here.;

Please accept this invitation to submit an abstract to one of the Technical Sessions that will take place during GeoAmericas 2008, The First Pan American Geosynthetics Conference and Exhibition. Abstracts can be submitted online at the "continued" link below. The deadline for the Call for Abstracts for the Technical Sessions is 31 January 2007. Additional information on the conference is available in the GeoAmericas 2008 Bulletin 1. Learn more here.;

Fumio Tatsuoka, the new IGS President for 2006 to 2010, has made available his President's Message on the IGS website. Learn more here.;

Commuter rail traffic in the United States is growing. Tensar's biaxial geogrids were used to revive a Braintree, Massachusetts line that had been out of use since the 1950s. Read the case study. Learn more here.;