Illinois Tech assistant professor awarded funding to stop spread of ‘forever chemicals’ into waterways
January 26th, 2023
Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) assistant professor David Lampert was recently awarded funding by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Student Design Competition for a project to stop the spread of “forever chemicals” into waterways. Lampert’s project—one of just three nationwide selected for phase II funding—focuses on preventing the movement of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) […]
EPA announces latest actions to protect groundwater and communities from coal ash contamination
January 26th, 2023
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the latest action to protect communities and hold facilities accountable for controlling and cleaning up the contamination created by coal ash disposal. The agency issued six proposed determinations to deny facilities’ requests to continue disposing coal combustion residuals (CCR or coal ash) into unlined surface impoundments. For […]
Differentiating sources of PFAS with multiple lines of evidence
January 24th, 2023
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous in the environment. Because a multitude of common commercial products contain PFAS, the potential exists for PFAS contamination to impact a wide variety of business sectors and practices. It’s especially difficult to determine who’s responsible for addressing PFAS when contamination likely stems from several origins. Due to the proliferation […]
EPA issues next test order under national testing strategy for PFAS used in plastics, chemical manufacturing
January 10th, 2023
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued the next Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) test order requiring testing on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under EPA’s the National PFAS Testing Strategy. This action orders companies to conduct and submit testing on trifluoro (trifluoromethyl) oxirane (HFPO), a perfluoroalkyl substance used in making plastics. This is […]
Watershed Geo to support TVA with decarbonization goals through unique solar solution
January 9th, 2023
Watershed Geo, a global technology provider for environmental and civil infrastructures, will partner with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to accelerate decarbonization innovation and bring new life to retired coal plants. In TVA’s pursuit of a 100 MW solar generation project on their closed coal ash site at Plant Shawnee in Kentucky, they have selected […]
New York to receive $200 million in IIJA funding
November 4th, 2022
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced New York has received nearly $207 million in clean water funding awarded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, or also known as Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) for water infrastructure improvements. This is the first installment of a total of nearly $427 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding […]
EPA updates Superfund National Priorities List to clean up pollution and address public health risks
September 23rd, 2022
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding five sites to the Superfund National Priorities List and is proposing to add another two where releases of contamination pose significant human health and environmental risk. “All people in this country, no matter the color of their skin, their zip code or income, deserve to live in […]
Landfill trenches with geocomposites
June 1st, 2022
Q: I am wondering if you know of or can point me in the right direction in regard to determining viability of leachate disposal via spraying back onto the active face of a landfill. I have a landfill that has a few issues, and while, from a practical sense, we have had some success with […]
Stacking GCL rolls
June 1st, 2022
Q: I have a question regarding the storage and handling of geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) rolls. The manufacturer allows stacking up to five GCL rolls. Is this okay? A: The answer depends on the subgrade under the stacked GCL rolls and the equipment you are using to handle the rolls. In a manufacturing plant, with […]
GMA is busy this spring and summer
June 1st, 2022
Government affairs, infrastructure spending and planning have been the watchwords for the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) this spring. In April GMA hosted three morning geosynthetics sessions as part of the annual Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) Outlook Conference, the premier leadership event for industries represented by IFAI’s 13 divisions. This year’s conference was held at […]