Emergency water supply: The Upper Chiquita Reservoir

October 1, 2011  |  Case Studies

By Steve Roades Introduction The recently completed Upper Chiquita Reservoir in Southern California was built to provide the region with substantial new water reserves to meet customer demand during disruptions of water deliveries. These interruptions can be unanticipated—for example, the 1999…
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On the waterfront

October 1, 2011  |  Case Studies

A plan to rework the Don River Park near downtown Toronto uses geotextile-wrapped wick drains to remediate soil and drainage problems By Adam Regn Arvidson A new neighborhood is growing on 80 acres (32 hectares) of former industrial land near downtown Toronto. Called the West Don Lands, it will be h…
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Geogrid provides erosion control, slope stability

September 22, 2011  |  Case Studies

Introduction The slope adjacent to the athletic fields at Saint Mark Catholic School in Huntersville, N.C. was the site of fairly severe surface erosion. A project to restore the slope with reinforcing geogrids was completed in 2010. The athletic field slope that had been failing was restored and Sa…
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Geofoam plays a supporting role in academic and civic projects

September 21, 2011  |  Case Studies

Known primarily for its use as a soil stabilizer in transportation projects, expanded polystyrene (EPS) geofoam is now being viewed by engineers and contractors as the material of choice for an array of other commercial applications. With high compressive strength, light weight, and predictable perf…
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A better way for the Beltway

August 1, 2011  |  Case Studies

By Alan Dinges Introduction Each day close to 50,000 motorists travel through the Telegraph Road interchange on the integral Interstate-95/495 Capital Beltway between Virginia and Maryland, south of Washington, D.C. In early 2008, extensive upgrades to the interchange began as part of a multi-year p…
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Sustainability and the fiber-reinforced soil repair of a roadway embankment

August 1, 2011  |  Case Studies

By Garry Gregory From the Geosynthetics Research Institute’s 24th conference, 2011.The articles in this series encompass all types of geosynthetics and their applications viewed from the context of sustainability. Traditional solutions are compared with geosynthetic solutions from both cost and ca…
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Comparison of carbon footprints for various stormwater retention systems

August 1, 2011  |  Case Studies

Introduction Construction materials continue to be a major source of greenhouse gases (GHG), based on the fossil fuels used in their production. As the amount of greenhouse gases generated each year continues to increase, there is a conscious effort to provide alternatives with lower carbon footprin…
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Patch extrusion welding as a geomembrane failure mechanism

August 1, 2011  |  Case Studies

Geomembrane performance: Lessons learned—Part 2 By Garrett Q. Dutson Introduction This case history examines the geosynthetic construction, use, failure, and repair of an evaporation pond at an EnergySolutions facility in Clive, Utah. A high priority is placed on management of water that has c…
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EPA identifies case studies for hydraulic fracturing study

June 27, 2011  |  Case Studies

Agency to conduct field work in various regions of the country starting this summer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in a June 23 press release the next steps in its congressionally mandated hydraulic fracturing study. The EPA has identified seven case studies to help examin…
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Wick drains in action at port project

June 24, 2011  |  Case Studies

By Angelle Bergeron The largest and deepest marine installation of wick drains in the world is ongoing at the Port of Virginia. Mark Palmatier, president and owner of U.S. Wick Drain (Leland, N.C.) said he is working on a project that is the largest and deepest marine installation of wick drain in t…
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