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Barrie, Ontario's long-awaited Site 41 Landfill project is finally moving forth with construction. Slowly. In addition to the standard debate that roils the siting of most waste facilities, Site 41 has been delayed by a need for an environmental inspector, poor access road conditions, and difficulty obtaining the specified geotextile. Learn more here.;

The forthcoming issue of Land & Water will feature a generic article on canal lining geosynthetics. The article, "Smarter Infrastructures" by Chris Kelsey, offers a general introduction to types of liner materials.

While many see the US property market eroding, property in development remains a significant threat for erosion. North Carolina's Henderson County is preparing for the construction of nearly 8,000 new homes. Construction runoff is the top source for water pollution in the state. A number of technologies will be needed in order for the Blue Ridge-located development to go forth cleanly.

In Charlotte County, North Carolina, a non-profit organization has spearheaded construction of a $38 million hiking, rafting and climbing park. The manmade whitewater course is perhaps the first of its kind and uses a synthetic liner to prevent leakage through and wear against the concrete liner. Learn more here.;

More major fines have been assessed to developers who ignore the proper installation stormwater and sediment control technologies on construction sites. Five developers in Tennessee were recently fined a combined $4.5 million. These companies need help--not for payment of the fine but for learning the right technologies to avoid them. Learn more here.;

KXLY in Idaho reports that erosion control courses for the state's construction industry are being well received and producing a waiting list. Learn more here.;

China's largest composites production facility is under construction. Among the many materials to be produced in Tiana Group's new facility will be geogrids. The Chinese infrastructure continues to expand at a rapid clip and geosynthetics are being designed into much of it for long-term support. Learn more here.;

Princeton Borough, New Jersey has placed itself at risk of fines for rejecting state-mandated stormwater control regulations. At issue is how the city regulates the many small residential construction projects that occur each year, such as the building of an addition. The city council feels that the state rules are too severe for the average homeowner. Learn more here.;

Ventura, California would like to construct an artificial reef to rebuild and protect the beach. The design comes from New Zealand's ASR Limited, known for geotextile bag reef constructions. But funding for the project requires the US Congress re-opening the Water Resources Development Act, which would allow the US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) to execute the work. Learn more here.;

The American Subcontractors Association (ASA) annually reports on the public policy environment for subcontracting in construction. The 2006 report is now available with grades and breakdowns on a state by state government and construction level for prompt payment protections, payment bond protections, anti-"bid-shopping" measures, and more. Download the Executive Summary or the full report at the "continued" link. Learn more here.;

Erosion control codes grow more strict in the US as cities and states realize the tremendous pollution problem of unchecked sediment entering waterways. But in China, where development is booming, the rapid construction of a road system is producing dangerous sediment runoff into rivers that feed much of Southeast Asia. Solutions are needed. Learn more here.;

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Civil Works program is to receive $4.8 billion for the fiscal year 2008, according to the USACE publication Engineer Update. The money will primarily go towards the Corps' major water resources project planning, design and construction. Learn more here.;

Mat-Su Valley, Alaska, was profiled last week ( https://www.geosynthetica.net/news.asp?search_key2=n1628 ) for the geosynthetic lining system being installed on a needed new waste cell. This week we find geotextiles on tap for the area's summer road construction plans. Learn more here.;

The Certified Professionals in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) Inc. is excited to announce the development of it's Certified Erosion, Sediment and Storm Water Inspector Certification Program (CESSWI). This new program will be available to all qualified technicians and inspectors who wish to demonstrate their proficiencies in construction and post construction inspection skills and abilities. Learn more here.;

Engineered Linings, Cape Town, South Africa recently asked geosynthetica.net how prevalent was the practice of owners purchasing their own geosynthetic materials and then contracting an installer to install them, as opposed to the installer being requested to both supply and install the materials. To address this concern, Du Toit Viljoen mentioned that Peter Hardie had prepared a brief note to facility owners to indicate why they (EL) felt the single source option should be preferred. We asked if they would send us a copy of the note to publish with the aim of initiating some discussion.

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics is currently developing a proposed new standard that covers the test procedure for evaluating the effectiveness of prefabricated vertical drains to enhance the consolidation of soils under specified conditions. The proposed standard, WK13402, Test Method for Large Scale Consolidation Test for Prefabricated Vertical Drains, is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee D35.03 on Permeability and Filtration. “For geotechnical engineers that are very familiar with sand drains as a means of accelerating consolidation of soft foundation soils, WK13402 will provide a means of evaluating how prefabricated vertical drains perform in relation to a sand drain,” says L. David Suits, a member of the task group developing the standard and executive director, North American Geosynthetics Society. Suits notes that the proposed standard will be most useful to engineers who are designing structures or embankments over soft foundation walls. For further technical information, contact L. David Suits, North American Geosynthetics Society, Albany, N.Y. (phone: 518/869-2917; Nagsdirector@aol.com). Committee D35 will meet June 27-29, 2007, at the June Committee in Norfolk, Va. For membership or meeting information, contact Christine Sierk, manager, Technical Committee Operations, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9728; csierk@astm.org). Committee D35 is one of 139 ASTM technical standards-writing committees. Established in 1898, ASTM International is one of the largest standards development and delivery systems in the world. ASTM standards are accepted and used in R&D, product testing, quality systems, and commercial transactions around the globe.

At school construction sites near Philadelphia, crews have discovered site soils are wetter than expected. This has led to a few obvious problems (sinking retaining wall, cracked floor). To head off future problems, the base at one site is being set lower and nonpermeable geosynthetics are being installed. Learn more here.;

The modernizing of the Cayman Islands' road infrastructure continues. Geosynthetic materials are being used to allow construction atop thick layers of peat. The first road projects are opening to traffic. Read the latest in the Caymanian Compass. Learn more here.;

L. David Suits, Managing Director of the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS), has a new e-mail address: NAGSdirector@aol.com. For more information on NAGS membership and activities, please visit the society's home page. Learn more here.;

Nonwovens Industry's 37th Annual Guide lists suppliers and producers of nonwovens around the globe in one comprehensive listing. Learn more here.;

New from the Geosynthetic Research Institute comes GRI Report #31: Status of Adoption and Use of the AASHTO M288 Geotextile Specification Within U.S. State Departments of Transportation, authored by Jamie R. Koerner and Robert M. Koerner. Readers can view the abstract here, however, the entire report is available to GSI/GRI Member Organizations only.

A New Jersey developer has received a $763,500 fine for not controlling sediment runoff from a construction site. The developer had previously received 18 warnings. Properly used, silt fencing, turbidity curtains, and other geotextile products can prevent many of the conditions that lead to these hefty fines. Read about the developer's troubles in the Mt. Olive Chronicle (link below) and the Daily Record (cut and paste the following link into your browser http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060721/COMMUNITIES34/609210310/1203/NEWS01 ). Learn more here.;

S. 728, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2006, was voice-vote approved by the Senate on 21 July. An estimated $12 billion worth of environmental restoration, flood control, navigation, dam, and levee construction projects is planned by the USACE. Read the full report on the ASCE web site. Learn more here.;

Geogrids and geotextile filter fabric are being brought in to repair the recurring paving problems on Homer, Alaska's Skyline Drive. Mudholes, pitting and rutting are a few of the problems the construction team looks to solve. Read the article online. Learn more here.;

"Low bid" and "best bid" do not have to be antonymous concepts. In many situations, the construction and maintenance costs of a road may be reduced and its life extended when geogrids are selected as one of the construction materials. Read Chris Kelsey's article from the latest CE News. Learn more here.;