Salmon Saved by Concrete Bypass System

Rising walls, heavy rains, and an environmentally sensitive site called for some very creative techniques of concrete delivery to complete a concrete and rubber ramp that helps juvenile salmon migrating to the Pacific Ocean bypass, Willamette Falls in Oregon City, Ore.

Installed by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the bypass system includes a 200-foot-wide water flow control structure at the top of the falls. The ramp helps fish avoid the rocks below by guiding them to the deep water at the base of the falls. The project hopes to increase the survival rate of 98 percent of all migrating salmon going over the falls.

To deliver the concrete, a high lead system was installed between the island and the top of the hill. This line was approximately 1,000 feet in length and moved more than 2,000 yards of concrete for the entire job in two-yard increments.

The Third Annual CEMEX Building Awards recognized the Willamette Falls system with first place in the infrastructure category.  Baseline Industrial was the general contractor and the engineer was David Bungi and Associates.

Fall Schedule Announced

PCA's fall course schedule offers seminars that address current industry concerns and challenges. The courses stress discovering and understanding real-world problems through laboratory experiences that reinforce practical and immediate solutions.

Upcoming courses include:

• Kiln Process, September 16-19
• Mill Grinding, September 23-25
• Aggregates and Chemical Admixtures for Use in Concrete, September 29-30
• Concrete: Principles & Practices, October 6-9
• Troubleshooting: Solutions to Concrete Field Problems, October 20-22
• Cement Manufacturing for Process Engineers, November 10-13

For more information, visit www.cement.org/learn

Prentice Named VP of Industry Liaison at PCA

John M. Prentice has joined PCA in the newly created position of vice president of industry liaison effective April 14, 2008.

Prentice will be responsible for the successful integration of the Regional Promotion Groups (RPGs) into PCA, coordinating the interrelation of regional and national programs, and overseeing the effective implementation of regional programs. He will also provide liaison between PCA and major national allied associations.  Prentice will report to president/CEO Brian McCarthy.

Prior to joining PCA, Prentice served as director of marketing and interim president for the Window and Door Manufacturers Association.  He was director of marketing for the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) for five years where his responsibilities included oversight of CRSI’s regional operations. He has held a number of high-level management positions for organizations in the steel industry including the start up and full profit-and-loss responsibility as president of a steel fabricating company.

Prentice has an MBA and BS in Business Administration with a minor in Chemistry.

PCA Hosts Asia-Pacific Partnership Meeting

PCA is organizing and hosting the next meeting of the Cement Task Force of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development & Climate, scheduled for May 12-16, 2008, Charleston, S.C.

The meeting also features an expo of clean cement technologies and tours of nearby cement plants.

Asia-Pacific partners account for 61 percent of the world's cement production. The cement task force was formed to support adoption of the best available technology and environmental management systems.

U.S. delegates include Suzanne Giannini-Spohn, Environmental Protection Agency; Ruksana Mirza, Holcim; Satish Sheth, CEMEX; and Andy O'Hare, PCA.

For more information on participating as an exhibitor, contact Jehea Song at EPA.

For more information on the meetings, visit www.asiapacificpartnership.org.

Reminder: Cement Industry Technical Conference, MTC Meeting Slated for Miami Next Month

On May 19, PCA's Manufacturing Technical Committee will meet in conjunction with the 50th IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference scheduled for May 18-22, 2008, at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa near Miami, Fla.

The conference is a mix of technical papers, exhibits, educational sessions, and a plant tour. This year's program features a tour of Titan America's Pennsuco plant.

PCA will also present its 2008 safety awards at a lunch on May 21. PCA chief economist and staff vice president Ed Sullivan will present his economic forecast at the MTC meeting.
More information or to register

Summer Regional Seminars Available
PCA is offering regional seminars as an alternative to conventional classroom sessions.  Regional courses provide participants cost-effective ways of meeting their training needs with shorter seminars, close to home.

The small-group settings of these courses allow attendees to focus on the issues facing them locally. Registration is still available for the following regional courses:

June 3: Pulverized Fuel Guidelines for the Cement Industry, Colton, Calif.

June 4: Raw Mix Chemistry: From Quarry to Client, Colton, Calif.

More at www.cement.org

Brown Joins CTLGroup as Senior Microscopist

CTLGroup has named A. Derek R. Brown senior microscopist. 

An experienced clinker microscopist and concrete petrographer, Brown’s principle experience includes most aspects of concrete production, concrete use, and durability, as well as all aspects of cement types, cement production, quality control, compositional testing, cement hydration, and cement usage. 

An active member of the Institute of Concrete Technology, Society of Concrete Petrographers, and Cement Chemists Society, Brown also serves on the ASTM C09 committee.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology and mineralogy from the University of Aberdeen (Scotland) and his Master in Information and Communication Technology from Imperial College (London).

Course Sets the Record
Straight on Bendable Concrete

The University of Michigan engineering department will present “Understanding and Using Bendable Concrete,” June 24-26, 2008, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  This two-and-one-half-day course will explain how the material meets structural and durability challenges and how it compares to conventional concrete. It's geared for engineers and industry professionals who wish to learn more about the product as well as business development consultants looking for new market opportunities.
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