Containment

SKZ, with scientific committee support from Cemagref and the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), announces the 3rd International Symposium on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, to be held at the Fortress Marienberg in Würzburg, Germany 15-16 September 2010. Abstract and papers for oral or poster presentations are invited on the following topics: Application / case studies (Landfills, Canals, Reservoirs / Dams, Transportation Infrastructure) • Durability / Lifetime • Laboratory testing • Performance (Cation exchange, Desiccation, Experience from excavation • Regulations / Approvals. Abstracts must be submitted via e-mail to: gbr-c2k10@skz.de no later than 30 September 2009. View the flyer in PDF.

The Time of India reports that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has given the work of beautifying the island in the middle of the upper Katraj lake to Garware Wall Ropes. The company's geosynthetics division of Garware Wall Ropes will fortify the island with steel gabions and erect a gabion retaining wall, channelising the flow of two nullahs into the lake. A statute will be constructed atop the gabion wall. Learn more here.;

The Business Standard, an English-language publication in India, reports that water management is set to become a boom field. With the country's industrial and municipal infrastructures expanding quickly, modernization is inevitable and necessary. Canal, reservoir and industrial containment linings are just some of the products in need. Learn more here.;

NAUE GmbH & Co. KG, a German manufacturer of geosynthetic materials, such as geosynthetic clay liners will be appealing a recent decision of Australian Customs imposing anti-dumping measures on its products. NAUE is an internationally active company with a long-standing record of high-performance products and high integrity in its involvement in the global market. This includes many years of successful interaction with and service to numerous sectors of civil engineering and construction in Australia. Read the company's response here.

Abstracts for Geo-Frontiers 2011 are due by 8 March 2010! Please keep this in mind during the coming week. Geo-Frontiers 2011 brings together the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Geo-Institute (GI) and the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI). It will be held 13-16 March 2011 in Dallas, Texas. Tracks include Soil/Rock Mechanics and Modeling; Geotechnical Testing and Site Characterization; Foundations and Ground Improvement; Slopes, Embankments, and Earth Retaining Structures; Geosynthetics; Geoenvironmental Engineering; Geo-Hazards (Earthquakes, Landslides, Erosions, Others); Transportation Materials and Pavements; and Other Geotechnical Related Issues. Learn more here.;

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Sen. David Vitter, the lead Senate Republican negotiator for the Water Resources Reform & Development Act (WRRDA), today announced that it passed 91-7. "This is a...

Engepol is pleased to announce the addition of their new black and white color geomembrane in our product line. This black and white color geomembrane enables easy and fast damage detection in the site. It was created to attend the client requirements to different applications i.e. storage reservoirs, shrimp farm, aquaculture. The Engepol geomembranes are manufactured from prime high molecular weight resins and were developed to be used under hard chemical and physical conditions in lining of solid waste sites, mines, and any fluid and solid containment applications. Tenemos el gusto de anunciar la introducción de la nuestra geomembrana color blanco y negro en nuestra línea de productos. Esta geomembrana color blanco y negro permite una rápida y facil detección de daños en el sitio. Esto producto fué creado para atender los requirimientos de nuestros clientes para diferentes aplicaciones como por ejemplo reservorios,camaroneras,acuicultura. Las geomembranas Engepol son fabricadas con resinas virgenes y desarolladas para uso en condiciones quimicas y fisicas severas en proyectos de relleno sanitario, minerias e en cualquier aplicacion de contenimiento de fluidos y solidos.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the worldwide subsidies to fossil fuel consumption in 2009 amounted to no less than 300 billion USD, while at the same time the global support for renewables was almost 60 billion USD. Gaps in support and other key issues in renewable energy will be at the heart of the World Bioenergy conference, taking place in Sweden in late May 2012. Geosynthetics are increasing utilized in renewable energy applications, such as for manure lagoon methane capture, solar energy caps on landfills, and wind farm access roads.

From 10-14 December 2012, the next Geosynthetics Asia will be held. Organized by IGS Thailand and the Asian Center for Soil Improvement and Geosynthetics (ACSIG), and held under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), the event's theme will be "Geosynthetics for Sustainable Adaptation to Climate Change." Abstracts are due by 31 May 2011. Download the call in PDF. Learn more here.;

American Environmental Group Ltd has grown to become one of the largest suppliers and installers of geosynthetic materials in North America, with offices across the country and multiple divisions. The company currently has a Geosynthetics Technical Manager position open at its Richfield, Ohio headquarters. Learn more about the qualifications and expectations here. And please share this opportunity with the geosynthetics experts you know who may be right for the position.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's (PennDOT) lengthy I-99 Skytop road construction is finally nearing completion after five years of questions surrounding how to contain the old acid rock unearthed during the project. High-denstiy polyethylene (HDPE) liner has been used to make the former spoils site safe for the last stage of roadworks. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) continues to push geosynthetics education and professional development in forward-thinking ways. In 2012, GSI Director Emeritus Dr. Robert Koerner acquired full publishing rights to his seminal...

The massive coal ash retention pond breach in Tennessee has reignited debate about how best to dispose of coal ash. Too often, ash is buried in unlined cells. And, increasingly, opposition is being raised over the construction of unlined cells. Though it will cost more in the short run, the construction of proper waste containment cells, with liners and fully engineered, reinforced earth walls, seems to be the right solution.

It's late Wednesday evening as I post this from Salt Lake City where IFAI's Geosynthetics 2009 conference opened. Day one proved to be full and engaging. A keynote lecture, technical sessions, a fiery polypropylene geomembranes panel discussion, short courses and a reception. The first of a series of reports from the event is posted here.

The former limestone quarry in Batavia, Illinois has been leaking 250,000 gallons per day despite the thick soil and clay layers beneath the 43,000 square foot swimming area. Removal of a Fox River dam has changed the hydrostatic pressure acting on the site and lowered water levels, thus increasing the leakage. Engineers from AECOM recommended installation of a geomembrane liner; that proposal has been approved with a $134,000 contract. Learn more here.;

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) has announced the recipients of the 2012 Excellence Awards. This year's awards honor 41 programs and facilities in 14 different categories spanning the width and breadth of the municipal solid waste industry. The winners will be acknowledged and awarded at the annual WASTECON conference in Washington, D.C. on 14 August 2012. See a breakdown of the winners of the 2012 Excellence Awards by category here.

NRG Energy owns the Indian River Power Plant in Delaware and is seeking permission to build a lined fly-ash landfill next to the outdated and nearly full unlined landfill cell. Public meetings have been held but more have been requested. State officials seem to be leaning toward a new lined site so long as the former fly ash pit is capped with a polyethylene liner. Learn more here.;

Dr. Neil Dixon will deliver a keynote lecture, jointly authored with Dr. Gary Fowmes, at GeoAmericas 2016 (April 10 – 13, Miami). Their topic is "Global Challenges, Geosynthetic Solutions...

New York State is highly influential in US landfill construction and monitoring practices. Germany's system holds a similar position in Europe. Both New York and Germany have been incorporating electrical leak location (liner integrity) CQA, but there is a fascinating difference: in New York, the focus is on the bottom liner; in Germany, on the final cover. Brief interviews with Robert Phaneuf and Dr. Werner Müller help explain.

Colorado Lining International, Inc and Castagra Products, Inc. have paired up to bring the containment industry an environmental benign containment solution to market using a safe, non-toxic, vegetable oil based plastic that has a 20-year pedigree of protecting ships and concrete structures. The Ecodur Spray Liner System is also a solvent free spray-on liner system comprised completely of natural products with no harmful manufacturing emissions. It is NSF 61 Certified as a product suitable for use in drinking water storage tanks, piping systems and related structures and surfaces as a lining or coating. Uses include secondary fuel containment, tank linings and coatings, waste water treatment, landscape water containment, fuel storage, and pipeline secondary containment. Learn more.

Jennifer Hildebrand will lead the Internatinoal Erosion Control Association's (IECA) next free webinar event, "Construction Inspection Techniques That Really Work." This webinar will look at inspection programs that really do work! The focus will be both from the perspective of the inspector for a regulatory agency and the inspector who may be inspecting their own sites. It is worth 1 PDH. Learn more here.;

By 2041, the City of Vancouver is expected to grow by another million residents to a total population of 3.4 million. The increased population will weigh heavily on the...

The mining industry uses an enormous amount of geosynthetic materials to provide safer, stronger, more cost-effective yields. The mine engineering presentations at GeoAmericas 2016 provide a high-quality, comprehensive view...

New Zealand-based Skellerup Containment Systems, part of Viking Group Ltd., is changing its name to Viking Containment. Viking Containment is New Zealand's leading supplier and installer of geosynthetic products, including geosynthetic liners, baffle curtains, floating covers, geotextiles, geocomposites and geogrids. Learn more.

Though it will not be held until 2012, a website has already been launched for EuroGeo 5--the Fifth European Regional Conference on Geosynthetics. The host chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) will be IGS Spain. Valencia will serve as the conference location. As of now, the dates for the event will be 16-19 September 2012. Learn more about IGS Spain at the event website. Learn more here.;