In the News
Utilizing On-Site Water Sources for a Comprehensive Approach to Irrigation
With construction of the new Maze Animal Hospital outside the City of Modesto, Dr. Michael O’Brien had a vision of using only captured stormwater to irrigate a 3.6 acre site in Stanislaus County, California. The project, which began planning in February 2010 and actual construction began in the summer of 2011, is truly innovative and progressive given the limited annual precipitation in the region.
Green Water Recapture Systems
Today’s irrigation customer is more environmentally savvy than the customer of 20 or 30 years ago. The burgeoning emphasis in our industry on sustainability has stuffed a whole mess of new concerns into the mind of the consumer. Can we include a green roof? What do you think about permeable pavers? Can we design green spaces to soak up excess stormwater?
Customers didn’t ask these questions 20 years ago. These determinations were left to the enterprising contractors.
Multipurpose Project Power
Known internationally as the “entertainment capital of the world,” the city of Los Angeles also is establishing itself as a green leader in storm water pollution reduction with efforts such as the recently completed Westside Park Rainwater Irrigation Project. A first-of-its-kind landscape best management practice, the project is
an example of innovative thinking, as the city contends with an average of about 24 million gal per day (mgd) of
contaminated water and debris flowing through its storm drain system and into Santa Monica Bay each dryweather
day.
Stormwater Management Reduces School's Reliance on Municipal Water
The Coast Unified School District (CUSD) sought a solution to irrigate a combined 130,000 square feet of all-season, multipurpose grass fields at its Cambria Elementary School, located in the seaside town of Cambria, CA. Nestled between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the famous Pacific Coast Highway, Cambria faced certain challenges that made conventional delivery systems not feasible: limited water resources, erosion control challenges, and an elevation rise that prevented adequate volume and pressure to transport irrigation water on-site.
Building A Better Water Feature
Water is a powerful resource. A well designed water feature can add natural beauty and visual excitement to its surroundings, offer an inspiring view and create a peaceful atmosphere within a host of environments—from office complexes, golf courses and shopping centers to commercial recreation areas and private residences. Beyond the aesthetic benefits, a water feature can provide functional value, including
stormwater runoff management, water retention and supplementary fire suppression.
Two key considerations for building ponds, streams and waterfalls are choosing the right lining material and understanding the nuances of each installation to ensure long-term performance.
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Resource Profiles - Firestone Specialty Products
Recently introduced to the marketplace, Firestone Water
Management Solutions is an innovative and customizable
line of products to maximize your water resources. Featuring the Firestone EPIC System, this onsite water management and reuse system is designed to collect, filter, retain and distribute water below ground at its source. The system can be integrated with Firestone
turf reinforcement products and/or permeable pavers to
provide additional drainage and water collection. When used in combination, these products will increase the durability and functionality of your green space, while improving your project’s hydrologic responsibility.
Unveling a Total Water Management Solution
Firestone Epic System – a drainage and irrigation system that utilizes a natural passive process to manage and direct water resources. Featuring EPIC Chamber, this system can also be combined with EPIC Pan, EPIC Pan Sheets and/or Firestone EPDM Geomembrane to harvest stormwater
Oklahoma Riverdance
This Guthrie, Oklahoma project challenged BB Mofic, LLC-Landscape Design & Contracting to not only shore up a decaying lake barrier wall, but also build a 64-foot long stream with a 12-foot vertical grade, which features multiple waterfalls and collection ponds.
''The homeowner also wanted me to build a water feature that would utilize the existing farm pond and incorporate a new series of streams, waterfalls, and garden ponds up next to the house,'' explained the contractor.
DeWitt Teams Up with Firestone
DeWitt Company has been named a distributor for Firestone PondGard products. As part of the Bridgestone
family of companies, Firestone has been a world recognized leader in rubber polymer technology for over 100 years.
Geomembrane Defense
Lined storm water management system earns stadium extra LEED points
Located on the east bank of the University of Minnesota (UM) campus, TCF Stadium is the new home of the Golden Gophers football team. According to the university, it is more than a sporting venue: It is a contribution to the
university’s heritage, and an icon for the community at large.
Building an Urban Rain Garden in Indianapolis
Indianapolis-based Firestone Specialty Products Company LLC (FSSP) collaborated with Keep Indianapolis
Beautiful Inc., Schmidt Associates, and The Athenaeum Foundation this summer to build an environmentally
friendly rain garden that serves dual purposes.
Wild Rose Fish Hatchery
A $15 million makeover brings new life – and more fish – to a Wisconsin facility.
As a result of major renovations at its Marinette County facility that boosted fish output and added recirculation system enhancements, the Wild Rose Fish Hatchery is set to begin stocking lake sturgeon and northern pike in state waterways as early as this Fall, say hatchery personnel.
Water Retention Key to Maintaining Reflection Pool’s Serenity
Located on a 93-acre campus in Indian Land, South Carolina, the City of Light is the global mission outreach and media production/training center for Inspiration Ministries. The multifaceted site includes the ministry’s WorldReach Headquarters and a beautiful reflection pool.
The pool originally had a black waterproofing paint applied to the slab to help enhance the reflective quality of the pool. However, the concrete base began showing cracks throughout the slab, leaving open crevices where the water began leaking.
Underwood Garden Wins National Design Honors
The unique plaza and laboratory at the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture sets new standards for water conservation and use in the Sonoran Desert.
A Solar Moment
Having a light bulb moment is so last century. In the 21st century, it might be more appropriate to call an inspiration a “solar moment.” The transformation of a portion of an active landfill on the outskirts of San Antonio, TX, into a closed sideslope and renewable energy facility is nothing less than a solar moment for the solid waste management community. A landfill closure system that protects the environment and actually generates revenue is without question a sustainable return on investment for the landfill owner.
Landfill Utilizes First-of-its-Kind Exposed Geomembrane Solar Cap
For landfill owners, finding a way to reuse their property once a landfill reaches final grade can be a challenge. Many have begun harvesting methane
gas generated by waste as a means to produce energy from the otherwise useless land. But one landfill outside of San Antonio, Texas, is taking it a step further and generating another kind of energy—solar energy—by utilizing a unique exposed geomembrane solar cap
design.
El Aguila Tailings Facility – Oaxaca, Mexico
Gold Resource Corporation, Denver, Colo., received permits to begin construction of the El Aguila tailings facility located in the southern state of Oaxaca in October 2008. Allan Breintenbach, P.E., senior geotechnical engineer for Vector Engineering Inc., Golden, Colo., specified Firestone’s 1.14-mm (45-mil) scrim-reinforced fPP-R Geomembrane for El Aquila tailings facility due to its excellent physical properties.
Republic’s Solar-Powered, Exposed Landfill Cap Switched On
My first serious interest in the possibility of using an exposed landfill cap to generate electricity came in early 2007 when I read articles in Industrial Fabric Products Review (now Specialty Fabrics Review) and Plastics Engineering on the military applications of nanophotovoltaic particles.
Exposed Landfill Cover Uses Flexible Solar Cells
The old saying that things are bigger and better in Texas just might apply to landfill management. Republic Services, Inc. has unveiled a 5.6-acre exposed landfill cap with photovoltaic (PV) cells adhered directly to the membrane.
Geomembrane Liner & Subsurface Stormwater System Installed at New MN Football Stadium
Developers of large urban projects—such as the new TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota—are challenged to find sustainable ways to manage stormwater without wasting precious space.
Firestone PondGard Rubber Liner- Creating A Seam
This is the first in a series of of installation details having to do with Firestone PondGard Rubber Liners.
Firestone PondGard Rubber Liner Instllation- Creating A Seam with 6.00" (15.24 cm) Quickseam Cover Strip.
Fish Hatchery Uses Firestone EPDM Geomembrane To Fix Leaking Ponds
The Blue Dog State Fish Hatchery, owned by the State of South Dakota, is an existing 25-year-old aquaculture facility in Waubay, S.D. The state was faced with the problem of leaking ponds and subsequent maintenance issues. The resolution to their problem was the installation of Firestone EPDM Geomembrane.
Long Lining
Geomembrane liner provides cost-effective solution for irrigation canal.
When the Greenfield Irrigation District, headquartered in Fairfield, Mont., decided to rehabilitate a 5-1/2-mile sub-lateral canal in its elaborate network of canals in west-central Montana, they decided to try something new—at least new to them: a geomembrane lining system.
Consistency of EPDM Sheet Material Is Purpose of New ASTM International Standard
A new ASTM standard developed by ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics fills a need for an internationally recognized standard to ensure that EPDM sheet material received by customers is consistent regardless of the manufacturer. The new standard, D7465, Specification for Ethylene Propylene Diene Terpolymer (EPDM) Sheet Used in Geomembrane Applications, is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee D35.10 on Geomembranes.
Reinforced Polypropylene Geomembrane Lining Material Offers Solution to Challenging Irrigation Reservoir Project
Extreme weather conditions combined with an aggressive project schedule posed many challenges for an irrigation reservoir project located on the newly developed Little Creek Casino and Resort property in Washington State’s Kamilche Valley.
Texas Community Doubles Water Supply by Lining Failed Reservoir
A 45-acre water reservoir in Robinson, Texas stood empty for 17 years due to failure of the existing clay liner. Today, the reservoir is fully operational and is meeting the increasing water demands of this rapidly growing community thanks to the installation of a high quality EPDM geomembrane.
Québec Farmers Install New Hog Manure Containment System
"As the size of Québec's hog industry has exploded over the past 25 years, so has the number of waste containment tanks used to store manure for subsequent use as fertilizer. Census statistics estimate that there are upwards of 6,000 of these tanks in the province."
Roll the Clip
"Geosynthetics are widely used in infrastructure but they aren’t widely studied. They are only a small part of engineering education at universities, if they are presented at all, and certification and professional development opportunities are still relatively few. This is troubling given the critical functions they play in projects such as landfill lining, brownfield capping, and highway retaining wall stabilization."
Installing a Water Feature
"There are many things one must consider when preparing to install a water feature. . ."
Anaerobic Digester Provides Ideal Application for EPDM Geomembrane
"As demand increases for environmentally friendly energy sources, renewable energy companies like Highmark Renewables, located in Vegreville, Alberta, are utilizing an up-and-coming energy source: anaerobic digesters using animal waste. "
Firestone Specialty Products Provides Aquaculture Professionals With An Outstanding Geomembrane Option
"For more than 10 years, Firestone Specialty Products has been involved in a myriad of aquaculture installations featuring Firestone PondGard EPDM Geomembrane throughout the world. Developed by the premier name in rubber polymer technology and innovation, PondGard offers a highquality, durable, and user-friendly option for aquaculture professionals."
Key Elements to Help Install & Maintain a Better Water Feature
"Water features can add an aesthetic element to almost anything– from golf courses, to shopping centers to office complexes."
Local Distributors—Providing Service Beyond the Sale
"When in the market for pond liners, two important things to look for are the product type and availability. Many contractors turn to their local liner distributor for this information, and with good reason. Distributors can offer contractors many benefits, such as installation instructions, jobsite delivery, training and troubleshooting."
Battling the Elements
"Design-build professionals overcome harsh weather to create a multi-level water feature."
Copyright (2006) Questex Media
Reprinted with the permission of Landscape Design/Build Magazine.
EPDM Liners Fits an Unusual Pond at the Toronto Zoo
"Scenic water features and backyard ponds can attract a variety..."
Extreme Water Loss Caused Concern for New Mexico Fish Hatchery
"Dexter National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center, which began operation in 1932, was designated in 1974 as the nation’s only facility dedicated to holding, studying, culturing and distributing endangered fish of the American Southwest for restocking in waters of their native habitat. The facility currently maintains 17 federally listed threatened and endangered fish species."
June IAGI Newsletter
"As I being my term as President of the IAGI Board of Directors, I want to let you know how excited I am..."
Know Your Options Before Installing A Pond Liner
"If NASA will send spaceships to the moons of Jupiter looking for water, it comes as no surprise..."
Constructed Wetlands Meet Environmental and Cost Requirements For Rose Acre Farms
"Rose Acre Farms, headquartered just west of Seymour, Ind., operates soybean meal processing..."
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