Housing for IFAI Expo 2015 is now open
April 10th, 2015
Exhibitors and attendees may book hotel rooms online or via phone or email. Exhibitors and attendees of IFAI Expo 2015 in Anaheim may now book their hotel rooms online or via phone or email. Room blocks are secured at the Anaheim Marriott and the Hilton Anaheim. ConferenceDirect is the only official housing company for IFAI […]
Six-year $478b transportation bill sent to Congress
April 3rd, 2015
‘Grow America’ to address U.S. infrastructure woes On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a press release describing a six-year, $478 billion transportation reauthorization bill that was sent to Congress March 30. Called the Grow America Act by the Obama administration, the proposed bill “invests in modernizing America’s infrastructure.” The release said that […]
From our readers: Mark Smith
April 1st, 2015
Dear Editor, Kudos to Rick Thiel, Ed Kavazanjian and Xuan Wu on their excellent article, “Design considerations for slip interfaces on steep-wall liner systems” (February/March, 2015). My consulting practice is principally heap leaching and most of my work now is reviewing designs for complex systems, and troubleshooting when things don’t work out as planned. The […]
Notes, quotes and anecdotes from Geo 15
April 1st, 2015
By Ron Bygness Arousingly successful combo event that partnered the Geosynthetics 2015 conference with the annual Environmental Connection show in Portland, Ore., Feb. 15–18, deserves more recollections. Attendance was good? No, it was fantastic! A number of technical sessions were full-house, SRO … I opened one door, only to stare at a gentleman’s back. After […]
Part 2: Geosynthetics
April 1st, 2015
2014 state of the specialty fabrics industry By Jeffrey C. Rasmussen Introduction The U.S./Canadian geosynthetic market includes geotextiles, geomembranes, geogrids, geosynthetic clay liners, drainage materials, geocells, and erosion control materials. In terms of value, geomembranes made up 51% of demand in 2014. Geotextiles were the second largest segment in terms of value in 2014, representing […]
Geosynthetic opportunities in shale gas fracking (revisited)
April 1st, 2015
By Robert M. Koerner, George R. Koerner, and Archie Filshill Introduction Energy is clearly the driver of almost every activity that the world and its inhabitants rely on and fully utilize. At issue is “what type of energy?” and the answer (as if there even exists a single answer) is largely geographically dependent. Currently, the […]
Part 2: The first double geomembrane liner 40 years later
April 1st, 2015
Constructed in June 1974, it’s been in continuous service ever since then. By J.P. Giroud and J.P. Gourc Introduction The first double liner with two geomembranes was constructed in June 1974 and has been in continuous service since then. The double-lined structure is a water reservoir located in Pont-de-Claix, near Grenoble in southeastern France. The […]
Geosynthetics facilitate construction of 10,000-ton tunnel in two weeks
April 1st, 2015
Construction of the new Nowolazurowa Street tunnel in western Warsaw, Poland. By Jakub Bryk Introduction Nowolazurowa is a new road in the western part of Warsaw, Poland, built to connect burgeoning suburbs with the highway ring road S8. It was designed as a two-roadway, dual-lane artery with sidewalks and bicycle lanes. The section described in […]
The status of coal ash regulations … four months out
April 1st, 2015
EPA’s ruling on Coal Combustion Residuals. By Boyd Ramsey Introduction On December 19, 2014, the United States Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy signed the Disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) from Electric Utilities final rule. The rule will take full effect 180 days after the publication in the Federal Register. The text for […]
Water woes addressed by newly lined reservoir
April 1st, 2015
Chowchilla pistachio farm By Raphael Bennett Introduction Situated on 600 acres of pistachio farmland located in the northern San Joaquin Valley of California, this farm management conglomerate wanted a solution to its water accessibility issues. Due to the current water climate in California, the water loss problem with the reservoir as it previously stood had […]