OBSERVATIONS

1. OBSERVATIONS • EXCELLENT SCIENCE – ION EXCHANGE. XRD, OIT, LIFETIME PROJECTIONS, BUT ……… • ……… STUPID FAILURES ARE STILL OCCURING • ARE WE PLAYING NERO SCIENCE WHILE LINERS BURN? • ARE WE “OUT-SCIENCING” OURSELVES!? • APPARENT; THERE IS A MAJOR DISCONNECT BETWEEN THOSE WHO DO AND THOSE WHO WANT TO, BUT DON’T HAVE TIME TO LEARN, BUT ARE GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY! • RESULT; PROBLEMS. GCLS WILL NOT LOSE, BUT WILL NOT MAKE THEIR DESERVED PROGRESS

2. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER IS NOT HAPPENING. PERHAPS THE AVERAGE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE IS EVEN DECREASING!? • MANY PARAMETERS ARE NEEDED FOR THE CORRECT GCL AS HAS BEEN PRESENTED OVER THE PAST TWO DAYS • WE CAN NOW DEVELOP A GCL/COMPOSITE FOR ANY SITUATION • THIS IS EXCITING FOR US BUT CONFUSING FOR COMMODITY USER – LISTEN TO THEM.

3. STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (BOB KOERNER) ARE ESSENTIAL FOR INDUSTRY VITALITY • EFFECT OF NSF 54 AND GRI.GM13/17 FOR GMB!! THEY PROMOTE USE. • BUT GCLS ARE MORE COMPLEX THAN GMB • BOB K’S BASIC SPECIFICATION – GTX “ PROJECT SPECIFIC ” – NOT SUFFICIENT. NOTE MY WWTP LARGE STONE FAILURE AND MICHAEL HEIBAUM’S RIP RAP/LARGE ROCK NON-FAILURE. CORRECT GTX SPECIFIED IN HIS CASE

4. NEED SEVERAL STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR BASIC COMMODITY APPLICATIONS, BUT ……… • ……… MUST BE COMPLETE – BENTONITE, GTX, GMB • ……… MUST INCLUDE SOILS ON EACH SIDE • LANDFILL BOTTOM, SLOPES, CAP LEVEL, CAP SLOPE, DECORATIVE POND, HIGHWAY, CANAL, WWTP, GAS BARRIER, TUNNEL, ETC, ETC. • MARKETING: IDENTIFY USE AND SPECIFY, DON’T SPECIFY AND GROUP USES. • MAKE OWNER, ENGINEER, AND REGULATOR KNOW WE UNDERSTAND OUR TECHNOLOGY AND WILL TAKE CARE OF THEIR OWN SPECIFIC NEEDS

5. RESULTS? • MORE GCLS WILL BE USED. • ONLY HALF OF THE INDUSTRY GOES COMMODITY, NOT ALL OF IT! • SPECIALTY APPLICATIONS ARE RECOGNIZED • CHALLENGING WORK FOR GOOD ENGINEERS • MORE RESEARCH NEED FOR NEW SPECIALTIES • SPECIALTIES BECOME COMMODITIES, ET SEQ.

6. THEREFORE:DEVELOP TECHNOLOGYMAKE IT EASY FOR THE COMMODITY USERTHRIVE!!