GRI has produced White Paper Number 7 on Geosynthetic Accreditation Institute-Laboratory Accreditation Program (GAI-LAP) and White Paper Number 8 on Construction Quality Assurance-Inspectors Certification Program (CQA-ICP). Learn more here.;

TRI has launched the development of a large-scale erosion and sediment control testing facility in the upstate of South Carolina thru an agreement with the Denver Downs Research Farm (DDRF). TRI's Southeast Area Office in Greenville, SC will manage the large-scale research and testing facility. DDRF is a 300+ acre former dairy farm that has been used for large-scale research associated with geosynthetics and erosion control materials. The research farm affords plentiful access to various sloping terrain and water from two ponds. Additionally, DDRF has numerous unused structures which are available to house covered research and testing and for material and equipment storage. Earthmoving equipment is also readily available. DDRF is located just a mile off Interstate 85 about 25 miles southeast of Greenville, in Anderson County, SC. A large selection of hotels and restaurants are available within 1 mile of the site. The facility is expected to be operational during the first quarter of 2006. Summary of Facilities - The full-scale erosion control testing facility will initially focus on the following erosion control performance tests: ASTM D 6459: Full-Scale Simulated Rainfall on 3:1 Slope with bare and RECP-protected soil* " Rainfall Intensities = 50, 100, 150 mm/hr @ 20 minutes each; " 1 control + 3 replicate slopes; " Inclined (3:1) slope, 40-ft long and 8-ft wide; " 18-inch compacted soil veneer; " Simulated rain system with 14-ft drop height & up to 6 inches/hr capacity; ASTM D 6460: Full-Scale Channel Flow with RECP-protected soil* " Shear Levels = 1, 2, 3, 4 psf @ 30 minutes each; " 3 replicate channels; " Trapezoidal cross-section with 5% slope; " Trapezoidal cross-section has 2-ft bottom and 2H:1V side-slopes; " 18-inch compacted soil veneer; " 80-ft total length: 20-ft upper transition zone + 40-ft test zone + 20-ft downstream; " Flow capacity up to 30cfs for 30 minutes = 54000 ft3 = 13,500 gpm. For more information on this new facility, please contact Joel Sprague at the "continued" link below. Learn more here.;

Pre-Registration: February 1, 2006, Hotel Reservations: Friday, January 6, 2006. ASTM has a group rate of $129. After January 6 (or earlier if the room block is filled), the hotel will only accept reservations at their regular rate of $243. Learn more here.;

Ian Peggs has written a tech note about the consistency and specification of textured geomembrane, a concern expressed at the recent GRI-19 conference by both a geomembrane manufacturer (Boyd Ramsey, GSE) and a CQA firm (Mark Sieracke, STS) - the general consensus being that asperity height is not sufficient to assure adequate interface shear properties.

Order the electronic proceedings from the NAGS / GRI-19 Cooperative Conference held in Las Vegas, NV., December 14-16, 2005. Cost of the CD is $50 US, and supplies are limited.

geotechconsultant.com is a web site that contains a few articles written by David J. Kerkes along with a few design tools he has prepared, available to interested parties at no cost. Learn more here.;

Following clearance by the Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission, INEOS has successfully completed the purchase of Innovene, BP’s olefins, derivatives and refining subsidiary. The acquisition creates a combined business with a turnover of around $33bn. The purchase of the Innovene business for $9bn fits well with the INEOS strategy to create a petrochemical company that has the scale to compete globally, supported by a sustainable cost base. The addition of the Lavéra and Grangemouth refineries also provides significant opportunities to integrate INEOS’s existing operations with upstream raw materials. Following the completion of the deal, announced today, INEOS will begin the process of fully integrating Innovene into its organisation. The review of Innovene’s operations, products and markets, which began in October, quickly confirmed the complementary fit of the two companies, but the detailed design of the ongoing structure continues. Shortly after the completion of the deal Innovene will assume the INEOS name and be focused into product-line business entities, along similar lines to INEOS’s existing organisational model. The sale of BP’s ethylene oxide business at Köln will proceed as a separate part of the Innovene purchase, with its own separate regulatory approval. Please go to the link below to learn more about INEOS. Learn more here.;

Ron Bygness has been named editor of Geosynthetics (formerly GFR). Bygness, who has a master's degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota, has held previous editorial positions with Augsburg Fortress Publishers as managing editor, with Cy DeCosse Inc. as project manager, and with Minnesota Suburban Newspapers as senior managing editor. Outgoing editor, Christopher Kelsey, who has contributed to geosynthetica in many ways, is pusuing a freelance career in writing. Thank you Chris for all that you have done for the industry and welcome Ron to the world of geo! Geosynthetics is one of six magazines published by the Industrial Fabric Association International (IFAI), Roseville, MN. In addition to publishing Geosynthetics, IFAI offers event coordination, including Geosynthetics 2007 (January, Washington, D.C.) and GeoAmericas 2008 (March 2008, Cancun, Mexico).

Following on from earlier reports, Royal Ten Cate announces that the Polyfelt acquisition process has been formally completed, thus making the takeover a reality. The approval of the competition authorities has been obtained. The acquisition involved an amount of €70 million, which has been financed from ongoing credit facilities. Ten Cate together with Polyfelt occupies a leading position on the global market for geosynthetics. Ten Cate experienced significant growth in this market in 2005, particularly in the United States. This is a growth market worldwide, especially in the field of water management and the environment. As a result of this acquisition Ten Cate will now be able to offer a wide range of products with high technology support throughout the world. Polyfelt has a sales and distribution network that is spread well geographically throughout Central and Eastern Europe and Asia, where the two organizations complement each other well. The completion is also announced of the combined sale of the Ten Cate Permess and Multistiq companies. Ten Cate Permess manufactures interlinings for ladies and men’s fashions and sells its products principally in Europe and Asia. Multistiq produces mainly self-adhesive and heat-seal base materials for labels and information carriers and supplies, among others, specialist manufacturers of label materials. The companies are well positioned to develop further independently in their specialist niche markets. Both transactions support Ten Cate’s buy-and-build strategy, which is aimed at strengthening the strategic base and the acquisition of companies within the five strategic growth cores: protective fabrics, aerospace composites, antiballistic materials, artificial grass and geosynthetics.

CONTECH Construction Products Inc. has completed the donation of its former corporate headquarters to Abilities First, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving adults and children with special needs. Pat Harlow, chairman, CEO and president of CONTECH, formally presented the deed and the keys to the two buildings at 1001 and 1009 Grove Street in Middletown to Tom Wheeler, executive director of Abilities First, at a ceremony December 8, 2005 at CONTECH’s new West Chester headquarters. “This is extremely important for Abilities First, as the services we provide and the demands on those services has increased over our 48 years of serving children and adults with disabilities,” says Wheeler. “We had some serious space problems, and this gesture affords us an opportunity to grow our services while also expanding employment in the Middletown area.” “We have a history with this organization, and we wanted to continue to assist them in providing the wonderful work they conduct,” says Harlow. “We regrettably had to relocate to our new headquarters in West Chester due to our expansion and growth needs. But we wanted to remain a part of the organization and continue to support the community we were a part of for over 100 years.” About Abilities First Abilities First is a private, community supported, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization which provides comprehensive services to children and adults with special needs. Currently, they serve nearly 1,000 annually and expect the need for services to continually increase. For additional information about the programs and services, please call 513-423-9496 or visit www.abilitiesfirst.org. About CONTECH CONTECH is a leading civil engineering site solutions products and services company. CONTECH is the only nationwide provider of corrugated metal and plastic pipe, detention/retention systems, geogrid and geotextile materials, erosion control products, bridge structures, retaining wall systems and stormwater treatment solutions. More information on CONTECH is available at www.contech-cpi.com or telephone 800-338-1122.