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Canada-based architectural firm ADI Ltd has left the ADI Group to join with Trow Global. The deal leaves ADI Group with ADI Systems Inc and Geomembrane Technologies. While ADI Ltd's decision is to leave, the company will maintain a strong relationship with its former ADI Group sister companies. No layoffs have been part of this change nor are any planned. Learn more here.;

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued a final rule to help reduce water pollution from construction sites. The agency believes this rule, which takes effect in February 2010 and will be phased in over four years, will significantly improve the quality of water nationwide. Construction activities like clearing, excavating and grading significantly disturb soil and sediment. If that soil is not managed properly it can easily be washed off of the construction site during storms and pollute nearby water bodies. The final rule requires construction site owners and operators that disturb one or more acres to use best management practices to ensure that soil disturbed during construction activity does not pollute nearby water bodies.

The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has opened exhibit booth space sales for Geo-Frontiers 2011 (13-16 March 2011, Dallas, Texas). The event brings together IFAI, the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Geo-Institute (GI) to co-organize this second Geo-Frontiers, the first of which was held in 2005. View the floor plan for exhibit space here. Learn more here.;

Unsafe road traffic conditions in the countries of Europe and Central Asia (ECA)* have tremendous adverse implications for their economic and social well-being, says a World Bank report released today. Treating road safety victims is imposing an increasingly unbearable burden on these countries' health and social services. Road traffic injuries are a major cause of death and disability, affecting young and working-age groups of society in particular, and ECA countries need to act now to prevent injuries and save lives, suggest World Bank experts.

The ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics meeting in San Antonio, 27-29 January 2010, will feature important new events: Geocell Standardization Exploratory Meeting; Shear Strength Test Result Interpretation; Subgrade Reinforcement; and a Workshop on Geosynthetic Material Durability: Field and Laboratory Experiences. Learn more about these special events.

The US Government's General Accounting Office (GAO) has released its report on the 22 December 2008 surface impoundment failure at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston, Tennessee facility. That failure released 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash across 300 acres. TVA nows estimates cleanup costs north of $1 billion, with final cleanup to be completed in the next two to three years. The GAO's October/November 2009 report identifies the number and locations of coal ash surface impoundments in the United States; problems, if any, with the storage of coal ash, and how those problems are being addressed; and the type of federal oversight that exists for this segment and what, if any, issues need to be resolved. Read the full briefing here. Learn more here.;

The golden fibre, the other name for jute has been around for centuries, but with limited applications, due to little or no product development, due to which despite it being environmentally friendly, the jute sector is not witnessing a decent growth rate. Learn more here.;

The value of construction in emerging countries will more than double in the next 11 years according to Global Construction 2020, a new report from Global Construction Perspectives and Oxford Economics. Global construction output is expected to increase +70% overall, with mature countries' output rising +35%, compared to the +110% rise forecast in the developing world. Learn more here.;

The 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG) Brazil - 2010 will provide an opportunity to learn about and discuss highly technical and scientific geosynthetics issues and their solutions. A primary objective of the conference is to present the most recent developments, improvements and new technologies from the international geosynthetics community. The IGS Brasil (Brazilian Association of Geosynthetics) and ABMS (Brazilian Association of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering) will organize the conference under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) in association with the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) and with the support of the ABINT (Brazilian Association of Nonwoven and Technical Textiles). Read more.

The Daily Journal of Commerce (DOJ) Oregon has published a bid for pavement restoration that includes geotextile separation fabrics. The deadline for submission is 25 November 2009. Learn more here.;

The MSME Expo-2009 organized by the Development Commissioner (MSME) at the 29th India International Trade Fair, was inaugurated by Shri Dinsha Patel, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for MSME at Pragati Maidan here today. Shri Dinesh Rai, Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises was also present on the occasion. Read more.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has said that high-speed rail upgrades to better connect Scotland and North East, North West, Yorkshire, and West Midland are more than likely 20 to 30 years away. Learn more here.;

The 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG) is offering its very early-bird registration rate through 22 November 2009. Those who take advantage of registering now will save up to 20% on the conference. The 9ICG will be held 23-27 May 2010 in Guaruja, São Paulo, Brazil, under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). Please register as soon as possible. Learn more here.;

Ian Peggs writes from Dubai: "One resin manufacturer, a geomembrane manufacturer, a design engineering representative, and a liner installer attended and participated in lively discussion during the day-long post-conference workshop on HDPE geomembrane. These workshop participants came from Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates and the workshop was led by Dr. Ian D. Peggs (I-CORP). Key topics included liner leak statistics, consequences of leakage, action leakage rates, finding the responsible leaks, and estimating the remaining exposed geomembrane lifetime." Read more.

The Jordanian government has appointed the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, as a lead transaction consultant to help attract investors to implement the Amman-Zarqa Light Railway Project. Under the deal, the IFC will review, assess and update the economic, technical, legal and environmental studies that were conducted previously for the project. The project involves putting into service a commuter train running on a 26-kilometre dual-track railway from the city of Zarqa to the Raghadan Station in the kingdom's capital, Amman, on a build-operate-transfer basis for a period of 30 years. It is not yet known whether geosynthetics will be part of the construction process. Learn more here.;

Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the Department of Transportation has jumpstarted more than 10,000 transportation projects across America thanks to its swift allocation of Recovery Act dollars. As of this week, state agencies reported a total of 10,041 approved. Read more.

Dayanidhi Maran, Union Minister of Textiles in India, is encouraging the country's jute industry to pursue erosion control and geotech product development. Ground modification and stabilization with jute-based products, he says, are cost-effective and a growth area, such as for rural road construction. With post-construction erosion control considerations, the jute industry is thought to have a potential revenue of Rs. 1,260 crore (USD $270 million) from the 21,000 km of national highway roads currently being constructed or upgraded. Also, Maran launched a $3.6 million project to better identify projects in erosion control and road construction for jute utilization.

Writing for the Business Coordination House (BCH) newsletter, Kamal Nath (Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways) discusses the major road expansion and upgrades going on in India; and how geotextiles are being used. In example, he identifies five projects, their geotexitile use, and their volume. Learn more here.;

The new National Policy Statement (NPS) - which is subject to public consultation - sets out the broad need for additional ports capacity in the United Kingdom up to 2030 and beyond, taking such things as freight demand forecasts and the economic benefits of ports into account. The document builds on existing Government policy, which is that the need for ports capacity can best be met with an efficient and competitive industry working in a free-market environment. This new document also includes wider Government objectives for sustainable development, covering issues such as climate change considerations and the wider environmental impact of port development. Read more.

When ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics meets in San Antonio, Texas (27-29 January 2010), the gathering will include a Geosynthetic Research Institute (GRI)/D35 joint workshop on durability. The workshop--"Geosynthetic Material Durability: Field and Laboratory Experiences"--will be held on 29 January. Download the official program here (PDF). Learn more here.;

Lexmundi, a consortium of international law firms, offers extensive resources about more than 100 major countries plus US state and Canadian provinces. They include legal topics of interest to geosynthetics business such as environmental control and company structures. View the free Lexmundi "Guides to Doing Business" here. Learn more here.;

Ian Peggs writes from Dubai: "Day 2, now, from Dubai and SKZ's 2nd International Conference on Geosynthetics Middle East. About 85 registrants in total are here. A couple of geosynthetica underwriters spoke early on with Oliver Detert (Huesker) presenting interesting research test data on geogrid-reinforced bridge abutments Ivica Ducik of Colbond discussing interesting multifunction applications of Enkamat S-based composites with a primary function of sound and vibration control." Read more.

The U.S. Forest Service has decided to close 39 miles of off-road vehicle trails that brought off-road enthusiasts to the Cherokee County area, North Carolina. Numerous off-road trails had become severely eroded, having eroded down to bedrock. All of the eroded soil washed into waterways and interrupted the health of fisheries. The district reports that of 2100 sediment traps installed, roughly one third had failed. Trailbuilders should take note of this, improve their designs, and better select the soil separation and reinforcement materials for the specific use and environmental conditions. Learn more here.;

SKZ's 2nd International Conference on Geosynthetics Middle East is being held in Dubai, UAE, 10-11 November 2009 with geomembrane and geogrid technologies guiding most of the discussions. A special one-day seminar will follow on November 12 on HDPE liner issues. Ian Peggs of I-CORP has sent along a write-up from day one of the conference. Read his synopsis of the presentations and companies present at the event, and see images from this region of ever-increasing importance to the geosynthetics field.

The Environmental Connection 2010 registration book is now available for you to download from the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) website. In an effort to reduce direct mail waste and the annual conference's environmental impact, IECA has elected to reduce the number of physical registration books it is sending this year. The full book and registration form have both been made available in an electronic format. Download the PDF (10 MB) today. Learn more here.;