Special Series

The D35.93 SUB COMMITTEE Ballot is now posted on the Committee D35 page of the ASTM web site http://www.astm.org/COMMIT/D35.htm To access the ballot, please enter the Members Only Section. You must enter your member number and the password “ASTM”. The ballot will be open and available on the web from March 23, 2001 – April 23, 2001. All members are required to return ballots. Your ballot response is important to the committee in obtaining the required 60% return for a valid ballot. Please remember that your committee bylaws state that failure to return letter ballots can lead to termination from the committee. ASTM is pleased that your Committee has agreed to participate in the online balloting pilot program. We are very excited about the benefits that online balloting will offer the ASTM membership. The introduction of online balloting will allow a member to access only the information on a ballot that is of interest and reduce unnecessary printing and postage costs. During the ballot period, the members will be able to access the information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This will be a significant benefit to our international members who will no longer be at the mercy of the mail system. It is critical that ASTM is notified of any changes to email addresses as soon as possible. This may be done by going to the ‘members only” ROSTERS area of your committee web (accessed via www.astm.org) where you may correct your membership information on line. Alternatively, send corrections along with your member number to service@astm.org or phone ASTM Customer Service at (610) 832- 9585 or fax at (610) 832-9555. We very interested in receiving your feedback on the online balloting process so that we can improve the system and service to the membership. Please send your comments to Bode Hennegan by email at Bhennega@astm.org or by fax at 610 834-3675. Thank you again for your participation in this program.

SCOPE OF CONFERENCE - The following general topics are within the scope of the conference - Construction and operation of impoundments, Material properties, Static and dynamic stability, Geosynthetics, Heap leach pad design, Liner design and installation, Case histories, Cover systems. PREPARATION OF ABSTRACTS/PAPERS - Short abstract one page or less, double spaced. The deadline for submission is Friday, June 15, 2001. Final papers should not exceed 10 single-spaced pages. Deadline for submission of final papers is Friday, September 14, 2001. The conference will be held January 27-30 2002, in Fort Collins, Colorado on the Colorado State University campus. Send abstracts or inquires to: Linda Hinshaw: Department of Civil Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1372. Telephone 970-491-6081, Fax 970-491-3584. Lhinshaw@engr.colostate.edu Information is also available on the web site: www.tailings.org

The UK Environment Agency is having to deal with lining the pits in which dead animals are disposed during the foot-and-mouth epidemic. Natural clay is used where available. Alternatively, GCLs or prefabricated PP liners are used. HDPE is not being used because there simply are not enough field welding crews to tackle the problem. The UK Environment Agency will be introducing several landfill liner technical guidance documents followed by a seminar at Manchester University on 28 March 2001. Speakers at the seminar are Bernard Myles (Geomembrane and Geotextile Standards), Ian Peggs (Geomembrane Performance, CQA, Liner Testing), David Hall (Liner Modelling), and Russell Jones/Neil Dixon (Slope Stability). For further information contact Rob Marshall at .

A technical training session dealing with the subject of Natural and Artificial Weathering will be held on Wednesday 27 June 2001 in Norfolk, VA from 10:00am to 12:00pm. An abstract of the session appears below: INTRODUCTION TO THE FUNDAMENTALS OF WEATHERING Matthew McGreer General Manager, Client Education Frederick P. Schall Standards Program Manager Atlas Electric Devices Company There are three main factors of weather that contribute to the degradation of exposed materials: radiant energy from the sun, temperature, and moisture. These forces work synergistically to cause physical and chemical changes. Understanding these factors are critical when evaluating exposed materials, developing an exposure test program, or choosing an accelerated method of testing. This presentation will feature specific features of various natural and accelerated weathering test methods, discuss what factors of weather are most accentuated by these methods, and provide a guide to determine appropriate exposures based on the end-use application of a material.

First Name: Kim Last Name: Lindholm Company Name: Brillas Ltd. Finland Title: Civil Engineer Title 2: Purchasing E-Mail: kim@lindholm.net Address: Nuottakuninkaantie 6 B 8 City: Espoo Country Name: Finland State Name: N/A Zip Code: 02230 Phone: +358-40-5682984 FAX: - Preferred Contact Method: E-Mail Urgency of Requested Info: Immediate Product Description: Not Specified Product Category: Not Specified International Phone: - Request specifics: Request for proposal for a solid waste-to-energy / recycling plant in South America on a BOT basis. Acting on behalf of a Venezuelan local authority, we are seeking proposals from parties who would be interested in participating in a bidding to build and operate a solid waste-to-energy / recycling plant on a BOT basis. Technology: Open Capacity: 2.000 tons / day Deadline to express interest in participating in the bidding: March 20th, 2000 The project will be carried out on a BOT (Build, operate and transfer) basis and successful bidder will be given a concession for 30 years at a time. The bidder is free to propose treatment technology. After deadline, interested and qualified parties will be invited to bid for the project, and are hence expected to send a brief description of the company, technology, references and a letter of interest by March 20th. The proposal, that the interested parties are expected to make at this moment will be decisive in the choice of invitees. After receiving your letter of interest we will present your company for the authorities and you will be sent an invitation along with detailed information to participate in the bidding. Because of our good contacts and relations to the local authorities and decision-makers, we can have a favorable influence on the outcome of the bidding. However, we now kindly ask you to act as fast as possible, preferably in time before March 20th, to secure the entrance in the bidding process. Don't hesitate to ask for more information. E-mail inquiries, please write to Kim@Lindholm.Net Phone inquiries, call Bengt Lindholm at +358-40-5682984

Write to your Members of Congress from ASCE's Internet Advocacy Site. Simply log on to the web site http://www.asce.org/advocacy.html and instantly let your Members of Congress know where you stand on issues that affect the civil engineering profession. ASCE's new online legislative advocacy tool allows you to write to your Members of Congress directly from the World Wide Web. The web site provides information about issues pending in Congress. With the Internet Advocacy Site, you may choose to write your own free form letter, select our speaking points to help outline your letter, or choose from a sample letter template that you may edit to match your own style. In a few easy steps, your letter will be on its-way to your Member of Congress. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contract ASCE's Government Relations Department at (202) 789-220 or govwash@asce.org

ATT is an independent soil mechanics, rock mechanics and geosynthetics-testing laboratory; we are not consulting engineers. Based on our experience in the geosynthetics industry, we have elected not to pursue the GAI-LAP accreditation, as currently offered by GRI. The reasons for this business decision are as follows. Many purchasers of laboratory testing services do not clearly understand what assurances come from GAI-LAP accreditation. In particular, they do not realize that accreditations are specific to individual test protocols and cannot be generalized to other geosynthetics tests. Thus, buyers may think they are specifying a level of assurance beyond that actually provided. In this sense, GAI-LAP deviates from, for example, the explicit personnel qualifications inherent in NICET certifications. In other words, it is possible that the only technician familiar with a certain test protocol may leave the laboratory, yet the facility retains accreditation for that test. Due to the QA requirements of many of our clients, often tens of thousands of dollars are expended in the process of QA audits, even for short-term projects. As a result of these client required audits (and given charges imposed under the GAI-LAP program, as compared to other certification programs), accreditations are not a cost-effective method for ATT to demonstrate the existence of codified procedures, appropriate training, quality assurance documentation, subcontracting procedures and the like. ATT's experience indicates that additional user education, a broader scope, and a costing schedule which recognizes the business realities of geosynthetics testing will be required to make GAILAP accreditation a meaningful business proposition for our laboratory. Contact: Chris Wienecke +1-303-232-8308 (vox), 1579(fax).

The Technical Director will monitor, coordinate, & augment existing and future Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) research, interface with industry to publish and disseminate high quality research results in industry publications. Questions about the position should be directed to Dr. Stark 217-333-7394t-stark1@uluc.edu, interested persons should send a complete resume and the names and addresses of 3 references to: Professor David E. Daniel, Head, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, 1114 Newmark Laborator, 205 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, +1-217-333-3814

We would like to introduce ourselves as excavators, processors and exporters of Bentonite in various grades. As you may be already knowing Bentonite has varied application in different industries like iron and steel, water and oil drilling and palletization etc. It is a well known fact that Indian Bentonite is of the best quality in the world. We have large mines (232 Acres) at our disposal with rich deposits of Bentonite. With large capacity for production, monthly production in powder form 2,500 M.Ton and 20,000 M.Ton in lumps. With regards to the quality of the mineral our product passes through stringent quality tests to ensure its reliability. We shall be proud to cater your requirements of Bentonite and request you to kindly let us know your specification and monthly requirements, so as to enable us to send our samples as per your specification for your laboratory analysis. We assure you of our best services and competitive prices. In case of any query, please feel free to get in touch with us either through phone, fax or E-mail. Bentonite properties and applications Bentonite possesses thixotropic properties and deposits a thin water proofing film on the walls of the bore holes & thus renders permeable formations impermeable. Both natural & synthetic Bentonite are used in preparation of drilling mud. It is mainly used as circulation mud in rotary system of drilling for oil. The main use of Bentonite is to lubricate & cool the rotary cutting bits, carry away rock cutting fragments and to act as a seal against the escape of gas from the bore hole and to improve and prevent the hole from blowing out. Another function of such Bentonite based fluids is to condition the wall of the drill hole to prevent caving. The Bentonite mined at our mines is sodium based and of high swelling variety and of good viscosity. The Bentonite processed by us satisfies all physio-chemical parameters. Following are the two major grades of Bentonite: O.C.M.A. GRADE (OIL COMPANIES MATERIAL ASSOCIATION) A.P.I. GRADE (AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE) Other grades of Bentonire which we produce for different industries and use are: RAW Bentonite Bentonite Gel A.P.I. Lumps and Powder Bentonite Palletizing Grade Lumps and Powder O.C.M.A. Lumps and Powder Bentonite Foundry Grade Lumps and Powder UMA Brownish Colour Bentonite Casting Grade Bentonite Civil Engineering Bentonite Cat Litter Bentonite USP grade Natural Sodium Bentonite Granules and Powder Bentonite RST Chips High Yield Bentonite If your requirements vary from the grades listed above that also we can supply as per your specifications. We export Bentonite to various countries with third party inspection. The inspection is generally done by reputed organization like S.G.S. India Ltd. We would request you to get in touch with us for additional product information. Visit us at : http://www.IMCnet.org/home/Bentonite or http://business.vsnl.com/uma

URBANA, ILLINOIS --  The PVC Geomembrane Institute – Technology Program (PGI-TP) at the University of Illinois is offering a PVC Geomembrane Technical CD-ROM for distribution.  This CD contains a wealth of PVC geomembrane information to include past PGI Technical Bulletins, Quality Control Manual, Fabrication and Installation Document, 1197 Specification for PVC Geomembranes, and technical papers written by industry professionals. To receive your complimentary CD, please contact the PGI-TP at  (217) 333-3929 voice, (217) 244-2839 fax, or e-mail pgi-tp@uiuc.edu. This CD can also be downloaded from the PGI website at http://pgi-tp.ce.uiuc.edu using Adobe Acrobat Reader. The PGI-TP is dedicated to conducting research and educating engineers and specifies about the properties and uses of PVC geomembranes.  The PGI-TP conducts ongoing research in order to further the knowledge base of PVC geomembranes.

NAGS AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE FEBRUARY 14 2001 1. PAULSON INTRODUCED KAREN HENRY (INCOMING NAGS PRESIDENT AND FIRST WOMAN PRES) JOHN INTRODUCED THE NEW ORGANIZING COMMITTEE, TECHNICAL COMMITTEE, SESSION LEADERS AND PRESENTED EACH WITH A COPY OF “WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?”. The NAGS Board of Directors is: John Paulson, Past President; Karen Henry, President; David Suits, President Elect; Mark Meyers, Treasurer. Vice Presidents: Dean Sandri, Shobha Bhatia, Mark Sieracke and Mark Cadwallader 2. NATALIE TOUZE-FOLTZ – WAS PRESENTED WITH THE AWARD SHE WAS AWARDED LAST YEAR WHEN SHE WAS PREGNANT. (WHAT AWARD) 3. DAVID ELTON RECEIVED AN IGS AWARD OF SERVICE FOR THE FIVE YEARS HE WAS EDITOR OF THE IGS NEWSLETTER. KARINA LABINAZ IS THE NEW EDITOR. 4. STUDENT PAPER COMPETITION AWARD PRESENTED BY SHOBHA BHATIA TO DON SAUNDERS (CANADA) 5. MARK MEYERS PRESENTED THE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY AWARD TO GEORGE ARMSTRONG FOR “INNOVATIVE HYBRID RECP-LINED DRAINAGE CHANNEL: DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND PERFORMANCE”. 6. SHOBHA BHATIA PRESENTED THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AWARD TO JOE DOVE, MATTHEW ADAMS AND MAX JOHNSON FOR “MANUFACTURING VARIABILITY OF COEXTRUDED GEOMEMBRANE SURFACE TEXTURE”. 7. KAREN HENRY PRESENTED THE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY AWARD TO ANDREW VESSELY, NESTOR MIRAFUENTE AND WILLIAM SHALLENBERGER FOR “GEOMEMBRANE LINER FOR SPILLWAY APPROACH CANAL SEEPAGE REDUCTION”. 8. JOHN PAULSON PRESENTED THE STATE OF PRACTICE TECHNOLOGY AWARD TO JOHN BOVE AND JOHN BARNARD FOR “IT’S TIME TO UPDATE CQA TESTING OF GEOMEMBRANES”. 9. THE GRAND AWARD OF $10,000 WAS WON BY MARK GLEASON, MICHAEL HOULIHAN AND JEFFREY PALUTIS “EXPOSED GEOMEMBRANE COVER SYSTEMS: TECHNOLOGY SUMMARY”. (FIND OUT WHERE THEY WILL SEND THE AWARD) 10. DAVE SUITS CELEBRATED HIS 31ST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY ON THIS DAY

GSI's Continuing Education Short Courses will be offered as follows: Course #1 - Thursday, April 5, 2001 - Geosynthetics in Waste Containment, Course #2 - Friday April 6, 2001 - QC/QA of Geosynthetics, Course #3 - Thursday, April 12, 2001 - Geosynthetics in Transp./Geotech., Course #4 - Friday, April 13, 2001 - Geosynthetics in Private Development. Location for all 4 courses: Geosynthetic Institute, 475 Kedron Avenue, Folsom, PA 19033, +1-610-522-8440 (vox), 8441 (fax)

The IAGI Certification Program recognizes individuals who have hands-on skills, knowledge and experience in the welding and installation of polyethelene (PE) geomembranes. The certification program’s goal is to promote the professionalism of the industry. Certification encourages generally acceptable installation methods and it provides a reward to individuals who have developed a certain level of expertise and professionalism. This program will be helpful to those regulators and engineers on job sites who want to verify that the installation personnel working on their jobs are qualified to do the work. We have completed the Pilot Test for the Certification Program. At this point, we are scoring the test to determine our first group of IAGI Certified Welding Technicians. The test is also being reviewed and a few minor adjustments are being made to the written and hands on portion of the test. Please be sure to read the Industry News in the next GFR to find out who are the IAGI Certified Welding Technicians. If you would like further information on the IAGI Certification Program, would like to take the certification test or would like to be a registered proctor of the test please contact Beth Landen, IAGI Managing Director via phone at 651.225.6952 or via e-mail at melanden@ifai.com.

Golden Software announces the release of Grapher 3, a graphing package designed for Windows 95/98, Windows NT 4, and Windows 2000. Grapher 3 has an easy to use interface that makes graphing effortless. Easily produce Line/Symbol, Step, Bubble, Function, Hi-Low-Close and Polar plots, Bar charts, Floating Bar charts, Rose or Ternary diagrams, Pie charts, Histograms and Box-Whisker plots. Create publication quality graphs in an instant with Grapher 3. Graphers 3 is available from Golden Software, Inc. for $299. You can place your order by going to http://goldensoftware.com/frames/grapherframe.htm or calling +1-800-972-1021.

Written Portion IAGI will score the written portion of the certification exam. The passing criteria as determined based on the data collected from the pilot test. The candidate will be notified of a pass/fail score. The actual scores will not be released to the candidate. Hands-on Portion The hands-on portion will be a pass/fail criteria based on industry accepted standards. The sample will be tested for peel and shear. The passing score for HDPE is determined by the specifications set by IAGI – see IAGI specification. The test value must exceed the standard and achieve film tear bond (FTB). The VFPE/LLDPE score for passing seams was set by the IAGI Certification Committee. The values for 40-mil smooth VFPE/LLDPE are 50 lbs/inch for shear and 45 lbs/inch for peel. These values will be used until an industry accepted standard is produced. These numbers were the average of the numbers published by the manufacturers. Only 40-mil smooth can be used for VFPE/LLDPE hands-on section. A third party testing lab, as approved by IAGI Board of Directors, will test these samples and the results will be sent to IAGI. The candidate must pass all samples to pass the hands-on portion of the test. Passing the Test The candidate must pass the written portion and the hands-on portion to become a Certified Welding Technician.

Call for Papers - Sustainable Services & Systems: Transition towards Sustainability, October 29 - 30th, De Rode Hoed, Amsterdam, Netherlands. For more information see "Sustainable Services & Systems" at www.cfsd.org.uk

October 21-24 Philadelphia, PA, -Abstracts are encouraged from all areas of solid waste technology and management. The home page is: www.widener.edu/solid.waste

TC Mirafi announced today the completion of a Master Distributor agreement with Colbond Geosynthetics of Enka, North Carolina. Effective January 1, 2001, TC Mirafi will become the exclusive marketing and distribution organization for Colbond’s geosynthetic products in North America. The agreement includes Enkamat® 7000-Series erosion control products, Enkagrid® laser-welded geogrids, and Colbonddrain® vertical wick drains.

IFAI Expo 2000 drew to a close on October 28, recognized as the most successful exposition in the event's 88-year history and strengthening its position as the world's largest annual event serving the many markets of the technical fabrics industry. All told, a show-record 486 exhibiting companies showcased their latest products and services to a diverse crowd of 7,376 total participants. The show took place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., from October 26-28.

Euro Geo 2 ran from 15 -18 October 2000 in Bologna. Hosted by the Italian Chapter of the IGS, chaired by Mr. Daniella Cozuffi and brought together by many others including Suzanna A. The Congress presented 156 papers, from 30+ different counties. (290 papers were submitted) Attendance was in excess of 700, 400+ exhibitors and 300+ attendees. The congress was very pleased with the unprecedented attendance by the Eastern European delegates.

Colas Inc. is branching out into a new market. Bituminous liners, in North America. Managing the New Business Development is Greg Langley. Liners are currently being manufactured in Ireland and imported, however, should things develop well a North American Facility is possible. Contact: Greg Langley +1-687-1717 (vox), +1-316-689-4218 (fax), +1-316-371-0500 (mobile) glangley@colas-inc.com

8/ 4/2000 - GSE announces expansion into nonwoven geotextile manufacturing. Estimated at $17M (USD), this project will extend GSE into new markets as well as provide an in-house source for nonwovens materials. Phase I begins mid-August in Kingstree SC with the construction of a new 156,000 sq. ft. facility, capacity of 16M lbs., completion is expected in the spring of 2001. Phase II involves further expansion creating a second nonwovens manufacturing line. Loren Collins will be the General Manager of the nonwoven textiles division. Contact: Roger J. Klatt (281) 230-6732

ASTM has released, for purchase, a CD ROM containing all of ASTM's geosynthetics standards. The cost of the CD will be about US$120.00.

The NAGS tour for GEO2001 in Portland OR (weather permitting) will take in the Arnold Canal sections A-1 through A-8 and the Ochoco Canal sections O-1 through O-4

TC Mirafi has released the second version of "The World of Innovation" CD-ROM, which utilizes a web browser format for easier navigation and access to products and application information. It also includes a new software package MiraSPEC® - compiles few data requirements and generates geosynthetic specifications for applications. Contact: John Henderson +1-706-693-2226 (vox),