News & Events

ANNOUNCEMENT - Nilex Ground Improvement Business Acquired by Hayward Baker
Effective June 10, 2010, the ground improvement operations (wick drains and earthquake drains) of Nilex, including those owned by Nilex Corporation, Nilex Construction LLC, and Nilex Ground Improvement Inc. (Canada) have been acquired by Hayward Baker Inc.
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Lunch & Learns
Would you like to get an update on the latest in the geosynthetics industry? Nilex offers one-hour technology transfer sessions that deliver the information you need to better understand the economic, technical, and environmental advantages of geosynthetics.
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GeoCalgary 2010: In the New West
The Canadian Geotechnical Society’s Calgary Section will be hosting the 63rd Annual Canadian Geotechnical Conference and the 6th Canadian Permafrost Conference. The Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Calgary, Alberta from September 12-16, 2010. Nilex is proud to be a Gold Sponsor at this event. Drop by and visit us at booth 46.
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Featured Products

GeoRidge Bio^®
Looking for an alternative to conventional check dams that is lightweight, easy to install, cost effective, AND biodegradable?
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TriAx^™ Geogrids
Tensar International’s innovative TriAx geogrid gained the prestigious 2009 Best New Products Top Rollouts Award from Better Roads^® Magazine, following its launch in North America. It was one of only 20 products "that enriched the highway and bridge construction industry" in 2009.
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Contact Us

Nilex Inc.
TF: 1.800.667.4811
E: info@nilex.com
www.nilex.com

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Welcome to "Innovations" - Nilex's quarterly newsletter designed to keep you informed on the latest developments in roadway, walls and slopes, erosion control, drainage, and containment application technologies.

Athletic Field Drainage Solutions

Multi-Flow™ drainage systems are widely used in athletic fields, both natural and artificial turf.

The use of prefabricated drains is part of a larger trend towards more extensive and intensive drainage in sports turf areas. Facility managers are under persistent pressure to keep fields healthy, attractive, and ready for use. Heavy sports schedules make this a major challenge, as using fields during saturated conditions compacts the soil, consequently threatening the turf.

In May, 2010, Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium partnered with the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club to upgrade the grass field to artificial turf. Multi-Flow was installed in the end zones to aid in the drainage from the field to the main collectors. The system allows for quick drainage under heavy rainfall conditions.

The Multi-Flow system effectively collects and transports water during heavy rainfall occurrences, allowing for less field downtime. It is designed to withstand heavy loads well in excess of 6,000 psf. Multi-Flow will not collapse due to heavy surface traffic, especially during the construction process when heavy dozer and truck traffic can be expected.

The Multi-Flow system extends the life span of the playing field and provides significant cost and environmental savings by minimizing the amount of spoil material that is excavated and transported from site, and the amount of drainage aggregate that is processed, transported, and placed on site.

Read more about the Commonwealth Stadium Project (PDF)
Read more about Multi-Flow systems

Talbot Wind Farm Access Roads

Renewable energy project utilizes geogrids to construct access roads, reducing the amount of aggregate needed and extending the lifespan of the road.

Renewable Energy Systems Canada (RES) is developing the Talbot Wind Farm, a 103.5 MW wind energy project constructed on approximately 9,000 acres of private agricultural land in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in Ontario. The intended lifespan of this wind farm is 20 years.

Nilex was able to save the client time and money by reducing the amount of aggregate needed to stabilize the road base. By installing BX geogrids and nonwoven geotextiles into the road structure, the subgrade was enhanced - creating a solid base for heavy traffic leading into the wind farm site, and minimizing the amount of maintenance required to maintain the road over the expected lifespan of the wind farm. From an environmental perspective, by using the BX geogrids, not only did RES use less aggregate to build the road, they also significantly reduced the number of trucks hauling the aggregate material to the site.

Read more about the Talbot Wind Farm Access Road (PDF)
Read more about Biaxial Geogrids

Lowe’s Parking Lot Drainage System

Subsurface stormwater chambers replace conventional stormwater retention or detention systems such as ponds, swales, and pipe and stone systems. Installation of these chambers provided Lowe’s with the ability to maximize their parking capacity.

Nilex completed a drainage project for the new Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse located in Calgary’s Cross Iron Mills Mall. By utilizing the Cultec Stormwater Management System, Lowe’s was able to meet the requirements of their own Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan, as well as the guidelines set out by the local Municipal District. In addition, the placement of stormwater management systems beneath the parking area allowed for further site development without sacrificing land area. Since retail development is often directly related to the number of parking spaces available, subsurface installation of stormwater chambers maximizes land use.

Based on the success of the chambers in the Cross Iron Mills Mall location, Nilex is working with Lowe’s to install the Cultec Stormwater Management system in the new Shephard Industrial Area/McKenzie Towne and the Sunridge Industrial Area locations (also in Calgary).

Read more about Lowe’s Parking Lot Drainage System (PDF)
Read more about Cultec’s Stormwater Management System

Overlander Bridge Access Improvements

10 Years in Service -  ARES^® MSE HDPE Abutment

The Overlander Bridge project was presented as a whitepaper at the GeoHalifax 2009 conference by Dan MacDonald, P.Eng., Nilex’s Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Specialist. The paper focused on the innovative use of geogrid soil reinforcement for what is commonly referred to as a “true abutment support” and the performance of the wall over the past 10 years. The Overlander Bridge access improvements were completed in the summer of 1999 for the City of Kamloops in British Columbia. The full height ARES System has been successfully in service for over 10 years and has demonstrated excellent performance for a true abutment supporting application with High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) geogrid. With varying foundation conditions and settlements up to 1.4%, ARES has performed exceedingly well and met or exceeded the performance of any other modular precast system in the marketplace today.

The original tender condition allowed the use of conventional MSE modular panels complete with soil reinforcement. During the tender period, the successful contractor (BA Blacktop) opted to employ Tensar’s full height ARES concrete wall system. This wall system utilized extensible HDPE geogrid mechanically attached to the back of the precast concrete facing.

This project was innovative as it was one of the first HDPE geogrid MSE abutment supporting walls designed and constructed where the bridge seat footing is supported on top of the MSE backfill (without any piles). Over 1,500 square metres (16,000 square feet) of wall facing was installed with the maximum height at 9 metres (29.5 feet). HDPE geogrid is relatively inert when subjected to road de-ice salts or brackish water within flood plain areas. On the contrary, competitive steel systems as cited in ASHTO suggest the use of impermeable liners where de-ice salts come in contact with steel reinforcement. HDPE geogrid eliminates this concern for the owner over the long term service life for such bridges, typically in the 75 to 100 year range. When in contact with the Owner’s annual bridge inspector, they indicated that they have not observed any maintenance concerns with respect to this structure to date over its 10 year service life.

Read more about ARES Retaining Wall Systems
For more information on the project contact Dan MacDonald