News

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) is pleased to welcome its newest associate member, Hilts Consulting Group, Inc.  Hilts Consulting Group (HCG) is a civil engineering firm founded in 2003 and is located in Yorba Linda, California.  Engineering services range from project inception through construction including feasibility studies, peer reviews, value engineering, preliminary design reports, final designs, construction documents, construction administration support, construction management, construction observations and inspections, field investigations, owner’s representative, constructability reviews, forensic investigations, and expert witness.  HCG specializes in geomembrane floating covers, liners, and baffles for potable water, wastewater, biogas, recreational, industrial, and oil & gas facilities.  Their FGI liaison is Doug Hilts, President of HCG, who can be reached at doug.hcg@hiltsconsulting.com.  Please help us welcome HCG to the FGI!!!!

‍

More than twenty years ago, the founders of the PVC Geomembrane Institute (PGI) and the succeeding entity Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) set out to evaluate the long-term durability of geomembranes in actual field use. They wanted to exhume numerous samples of exposed geomembranes for testing on a periodic basis without ruining the integrity of the installed primary liner system. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) became a partner, and the study was started in October 1995. The study selected a MN DNR mine settling basin in the town of Hibbing, Minn., for the long-term study.

The main objective of this ongoing project is to investigate the 30-year durability of PVC geomembranes and PVC chemical fusion and hot wedge-welded seams. At the beginning of the study, samples of three 30-mil (0.8-mm) geomembranes from three different manufacturers were placed along the bottom of a double-lined mine settling basin at the reclamation site. The weather extremes and the harsh winters with many freeze/thaw cycles provided an excellent venue to test the durability of these geomembranes. The settling basin contains mine drainage that has been neutralized with magnesium hydroxide from mine waste rock piles. Three strips of PVC geomembrane–originally 6-feet (1.8 m) wide and 50-feet (15.2 m) long—were installed in 1995. After exhumation and sampling events two, four, five, ten and twenty years after placement of the samples, the test strips are shorter but still buried in a 6- to 12-inch (15–30-cm) thick sand cover at the bottom of the basin. Each test strip contains a single seam that runs the entire length at the center line of the test strip. Two of the strips have chemical seams, and the other has a 1.5-inch (3.8-cm) wide single wedge welded seam.

Geomembrane samples were previously collected and tested after two, four, five, ten and twenty years in the basin, and the materials still meet the original specifications. Following the retrieval of the 20-year samples, it was determined that there was sufficient space available in the basin to install additional materials. After discussions with the MN DNR, it was decided to install eight new materials with dimensions of 6-feet (1.8-m) wide and 25-feet (7.6-m) long. These samples also contained a seam at the centerline, but all seams were created using a thermal welder. Therefore, on Sept. 21, 2017, the FGI and the MN DNR installed eight additional geomembrane material samples on the bottom of the mine settling. The eight new geomembranes installed are:

• 36-mil reinforced polypropylene, provided by Cooley Group (CG)
• 30-mil single film laminated woven coated polyethylene, provided by Owens Corning Inc. (OC)
• 30-mil single scrim coated woven coated polyethylene, provided by Intertape Polymer Group (IPG)
• 40-mil unreinforced LLDPE, provided by Raven Industries (RI)
• 30-mil XTRM Ply ethylene interpolymer alloy (EIA) formulation geomembrane, provided by Engineered Polymer Technologies (EPT)
• 30-mil XR-5 ethylene interpolymer alloy (EIA) formulation geomembrane, provided by Seaman Corporation (SC)
• 30-mil PVC geomembrane, provided by Plastatech Inc. (PI)
• 30-mil smooth HDPE geomembrane, provided by GSE Environmental (GE)

The FGI will perform exhumation, sampling and testing of the newly installed materials after five, ten, fifteen, twenty and twenty-five years. In addition, large archive samples of each geomembrane were retained before installation for archival purposes. These archival samples were shipped to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign for storage.

‍

‍

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) inducted new Officers and a new Board of Directors during its biennial membership meeting in Houston, Texas on February 12, 2019 at the Geosynthetics 2019 Conference.  The FGI’s membership meeting was attended by fifty-seven (57) people.  In addition to introducing the new Officers and Directors, Timothy D. Stark, FGI Technical Director and Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, reviewed the current state of the FGI, including current activities, finances, and goals of the research institution, as well as presented the FGI’s 2019 Engineering Innovation Awards.

 The newly elected FGI Officers will serve a two-year term (2019-2021) and are:

• President – Patrick Elliott (Raven Industries, Parker, Colorado)
• Vice President – Andy Durham (Owens Corning, Granville, Ohio)
• Treasurer – Jordan Wiechmann (Plastatech, Saginaw, Michigan)
• Secretary – Greg Scales (Titan Environmental Containment, Houston, Texas)

 The recently elected FGI Board of Directors also will serve a two-year term (2019-2021) and are listed below in alphabetical order: 

• Ray Peebles (Cooley Group, Pawtucket, Rhode Island)
• Bill Shehane (Seaman Corporation, Wooster, Ohio)
• Ed Silva (Engineered Polymer Technologies, Hillside, New Jersey)
• Duff Simbeck (Simbeck & Associates, Mancos, Colorado)

The FGI is dedicated to advancing the use of fabricated geomembranes through education, research, and technology transfer.  The FGI is a consortium of manufacturers, fabricators/installers, designers, regulators, and material suppliers of fabricated geomembranes.  For more information on the FGI, please visit www.fabricatedgeomembrane.com.

‍

‍

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) is pleased to welcome its newest manufacturer member, Canadian General Tower (www.cgtower.com).  CGT is headquartered in Ontario, Canada with additional manufacturing facilities in the United States and China, an innovation design studio in Michigan and international sales offices in Germany, France, China, Japan, and Canada. CGT specializes in high quality coated fabrics and films used in a variety of automotive, industrial, aquatic,construction and geomembrane applications.  Their FGI liaison is Mike Thrasher, Construction Director, who can be reached at mike.thrasher@cgtower.com.  Please help us welcome CGT to the FGI!!!!

‍

The Fabricated Geomembrane Engineering Innovation Award was created to recognize engineers who have creatively used fabricated geomembranes to successfully fulfill a client/owner’s needs, including technical requirements, scheduling and budget.

‍Purpose

Today’s engineers are working to solve environmental issues on a global scale. FGI’s Fabricated Geomembrane Engineering Innovation Award competition pays tribute to exemplary engineers who utilize fabricated geomembranes to creatively solve a problem on an important project.

‍How the Program Works

An engineer, regulatory person, owner, installer or contractor can submit a project for award consideration. An award application must be filled out and submitted by January 15, 2019. A distinguished panel of three judges representing a cross section of industry, government, academia and media, will evaluate the submissions and rank them based on engineering excellence, uniqueness and innovation.

Qualifications

This program is open to all engineers and designers.

‍Deadline

The deadline for submitting anapplication is: January 15, 2019.

Apply Today

Download the award application today!!!  The FGI looks forward to recognizing an engineer/designer for their important and innovative work utilizing fabricated geomembranes.

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) presented a live-streamed short course at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) on 3 August, 2018.  The short course was organized by the FGI and was streamed on-line by the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA). The short course was offered as a set of six continuous webinars, with a one-hour lunch break separating the three morning sessions and the three afternoon sessions.  The all-day short course drew 210 registrants, with over 100 attendees streaming at any one time.

The excellent and timely presentations focused on the challenges and environmental concerns with containment and engineering technologies and how geosynthetics and geomembranes can be used to mitigate the concerns and risks.  Andy Durham of Owens Corning served as the emcee for the short course; introducing each speaker, as well as moderating the live question and answer section at the end of each presentation. The beginning portion of the short course focused on geomembrane life and performance.  Dr. Kerry Rowe, of Queens University focused on service life of geomembranes, while GlenToepfer, of CQA Solutions provided insight into the latest advancements in geomembrane testing and certified quality assurance (CQA) procedures.  Finally, Dr.Kerry Rowe concluded the morning sessions with an informative presentation on the effects of wrinkles on geomembrane performance.  

The second half of the presentations focused on various applications of geosynthetics in civil engineering applications.  For example, Sam Allen, of TRI Environmental reviewed the best practices for zero leak containment.  Gary Zych, of American Electric Power in Columbus, Ohio gave an informative presentation on effective disposal techniques for Coal Combustion Residuals using PVC geomembranes.  Finally, Dr. Timothy Stark, of the UIUC wrapped up the live-streamed event with a presentation detailing elevated temperatures in containment applications.  

Many attendee questions, comments, and experiences made the course a great success. The topics and speakers from the successful short course are shown below:

Service Life of  Geomembranes – Kerry Rowe (Queens University)

Testing& CQA Procedures – GlenToepfer (CQA Solutions)

‍Effectof Wrinkles on Geomembrane Performance – Kerry Rowe (Queens University)

‍BestPractices for Zero Leak Containment – Sam Allen (TRIEnvironmental)

‍Containmentfor Coal Combustion Residuals - Gary Zych (AmericanElectric Power)

‍ElevatedTemperatures in Containment Applications – Timothy Stark (UIUC)

‍

The FGI is dedicated to advancing the use of fabricated geomembranes through education, research, and technology transfer. The FGI is an industry sponsored consortium of manufacturers, fabricators/installers, designers, regulators, and material suppliers of fabricated geomembranes. For more information on the FGI, please visit www.fabricatedgeomembrane.com

‍

It has been over a year since the Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) inducted new Officers and a new Board of Directors, which occurred in March of 2017 at the ASCE Geo-Frontiers Conference in Orlando, Florida.  Officers and Board of Directors currently serving are: 

President – Patrick Elliott (Raven Industries, Parker, Colorado), Vice President – Laura Storey (Consumers Energy, Saginaw, Michigan), Treasurer – Ed Silva (Engineered Polymer Technologies, Hillside, New Jersey), Secretary – Andy Durham (Owens Corning, Granville, Ohio), Dale Kemnitz (Leak Location Services), Ray Peebles (Cooley Group), Bill Shehane (Seaman Corporation), and Duff Simbeck (Simbeck & Associates).  A few accomplishments of the current Officers and Board of Directors are highlighted below:

·          Increased participation – We have had some great meetings with new ideas and open discussion from new members and the new Board. This has already led to four new FGI members this year.

·          Successful Short Courses – The short courses offered at The Ohio State University were two of the most successful short courses offered by the FGI.  The Fall, 2017 Short Course was sold out (92), and therefore, a second course was offered in April, 2018 (78).  Success was due to a slate of excellent speakers, as well as Owens Corning offering a production facility tour following the short course.

·          New Website- The FGI website has a fresh new look, updated content, better graphics, allows tracking of usage, and is now mobile friendly. Please visit our new site and tell us what you think – www.fabricatedgeomembrane.com

·          Webinars – The FGI has completed three very successful webinars in collaboration with GMA:  Fabrication, Installation, and Testing – October 19, 2018, Slope Stability Part I – February 27, 2018, and Slope Stability Part II on May 31, 2018. 

·          Pond leakage calculator – The FGI created this excellent spreadsheet tool that calculates water loss of a Geomembrane vs. Compacted Clay Soil Liner and cost associated with water loss. The calculator can also help with pond sizing and volumes. Learn More

·           Increased Participation in FGI Summer Internship Program – In 2017, the FGI provided internships to six Civil & Environmental Engineering students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to four different member companies. Learn More

·           New samples to Minnesota DNR study – The FGI expanded the long term geomembrane durability study in Hibbing, Minnesota to include eight additional geomembrane samples. This is a long term commitment and should produce unique data from several membranes over the next 20 years.

·       New Geosynthetics Magazine Articles Published– The FGI published following articles over the past year:  Long-term Durability of Geomembrane Materials and Seams in April/May, 2017, Protecting Geomembranes From Animal Damage in June/July, 2017, and the FGI Expands Summer Internship Program in November, 2017.

·           Polypropylene Specification Development – The FGI developed a new specification for supported and unsupported flexible polypropylene geomembranes that represents an industry standard for high quality products.  The FGI Polypropylene Specification is available to download from the FGI website. View All FGI Specs

In addition to all of the accomplishments above, the FGI is working on the following projects:

·           New PVC Specification – The FGI is working to create an updated PVC specification that will provide the end user with a more consistent and high quality industrial grade PVC.

·           Columbus Reservoir Paper – A journal paper on the largest containment project in the world that shows factory fabricated seams are more consistent and at least 10% stronger than field seams.

·           Video library of ASTM test methods – The FGI is in the process of developing a library of high quality videos for our website and YouTube channel that explain and demonstrate all of the different ASTM test methods used for testing flexible geomembranes.

·           Short courses – The FGI has two additional short courses scheduled for 2018 that will address Geosynthetics in Civil Engineering Applications:  Friday, August 3, 2018 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (will also be recorded and live-streamed) and Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at Saginaw Valley State University (in collaboration with Consumers Energy and Plastatech).

·           Summer Internship program – In 2018, the FGI plans to continue to expand its internship program by developing new partnerships with other Universities (e.g. Colorado State University and The Ohio State University) to provide more geographically friendly interns to its members.

·           Clay v. Geomembrane Costs Paper – Conference paper is being written to highlight the benefits and cost savings of using geomembranes over compacted clay soil for containment applications.

·           RPP Project Case Study – The FGI is working on a case study of a premature failure of an RPP pond liner system, along with a new installation of an RPE system including mechanical attachment, venting system, ballast system to prevent uplift if ground water becomes an issue, anchor trench, underlayment, pipe details and panel fabrication.

·           Installation Details – The FGI is creating a library of installation details for engineers and clients to download from the FGI website in both JPEG and DWG formats.

The FGI is dedicated to advancing the use of fabricated geomembranes through education, research, and technology transfer.  The FGI is a consortium of manufacturers, fabricators/installers, designers, regulators, and material suppliers of fabricated geomembranes.  For more information on the FGI, please visit www.fabricatedgeomembrane.com.

The FGI is pleased to welcome its newest fabricator member, Environmental Protection, Inc. (www.geomembrane.com).  EPI is based in Traverse City, Michigan and specializes in high quality prefabricated geomembrane panels used in a variety of environmental containment applications.  Their FGI liaison is Dan Rohe, President, who can be reached at danrohe@geomembrane.com or (800) 655-4637.  Please help us welcome EPI to the FGI!!!!

The FGI is pleased to welcome its newest member, EnviroCon Systems, Inc. (www.enviroconsystems.com).  EnviroCon is a national geomembrane supply and installation company based in Houston, Texas. In addition, EnviroCon offers both full-service custom fabrication and pipe divisions.  The fabrication division specializes in stock and specialty items such as sump boxes, secondary containment, and large-scale flexible liner panels. The pipe division offers a wide range of HDPE pipe and fusion equipment for sale, rental or turnkey services. Their FGI liaisons are Chris Trevino, Fabrication Sales & Division Manager (trevino@enviroconsystems.com), and Derek Huffman, Estimator/Project Manager (derek@enviroconsystems.com). They can be reached at (281) 443-2592.  Please help us welcome EnviroCon Systems, Inc. to the FGI!!!!

The FGI is pleased to welcome its newest fabricator member, Titan Environmental USA (www.titanenviro.com).  Titan is based in Houston, Texas and specializes in high quality prefabricated geomembrane panels used in a variety of environmental containment projects.  Their FGI liaison is Tonya Switalski, General Manager, who can be reached at tonya@titanenviro.com or (832) 819-9758.  Please help us welcome Titan Environmental USA to the FGI!!!!