NAVFAC Engineers Execute Energy Water · 2015-07-30 · Conservation Innovations at Camp Lemonnier...

NAVFAC Engineers Execute

Energy Saving Initiatives & Other Efforts Successful

in Forward-deployed Environment

Energy &WaterCAMP LEMONNIER

Conservation Improvements at

Chief of Naval Operations Environmental Award Winners Recognized Spotlight on the New Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy Joseph BryanNaval Medical Research Unit San Antonio CapturesMercury-Containing Amalgam Waste

“What’s InYour Bay?”PosterInside!

cover

6Engineers from the Naval Facilities Engineering and ExpeditionaryWarfare Center successfully executed several projects to promoteenergy sustainability and water conservation at Camp Lemonnier,Djibouti Africa.

NAVFAC Engineers Execute Energy & WaterConservation Innovations at Camp LemonnierEnergy Saving Initiatives & Other Efforts Successful inForward-deployed Environment

Currents (ISSN 1544-6603) is the official energy and environmental magazine of the U.S. Navy, Chief of NavalOperations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division (N45).

This magazine is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Statements made in theN45 Outlook column reflect the official policy of the Navy. The contents in the remainder of the magazine are notnecessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or the UnitedStates Navy. Inclusion of any product or service in any Currents feature article does not constitute an endorse mentby the Navy. The Navy encourages all readers to check with the appropriate supervising authority prior to using anyproduct or service mentioned in the magazine.

Article submissions should be submitted directly to Currents’ Managing Editor, Bruce McCaffrey, using theCurrents article template. A public affairs review must be completed before Currents management can consideran article for publication.

Browse the Currents archives and subscribe to the magazine at www.greenfleet.dodlive.mil/currents-magazine.Contact Lorraine Wass, Currents’ Distribution Manager, with any changes to mailing addresses or shipping quantities.

“Like” Currents on Facebook by logging onto your account at www.facebook.com,

searching for “U.S. Navy Currents magazine,” thenclicking the “Like” button. You can also find us at

www.facebook.com/navycurrents.

Follow Currents on Twitter at www.twitter.com/navycurrents.

View the Currents photo archive on Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/navycurrents.

Currents (ISSN 1544-6603) is the official energy and environmental magazine of the U.S. Navy, Chief of NavalOperations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division (N45).

This magazine is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Statements made in theN45 Outlook column reflect the official policy of the Navy. The contents in the remainder of the magazine are notnecessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or the UnitedStates Navy. Inclusion of any product or service in any Currents feature article does not constitute an endorse mentby the Navy. The Navy encourages all readers to check with the appropriate supervising authority prior to using anyproduct or service mentioned in the magazine.

Article submissions should be submitted directly to Currents’ Managing Editor, Bruce McCaffrey, using theCurrents article template. A public affairs review must be completed before Currents management can consideran article for publication.

Browse the Currents archive at http://greenfleet.dodlive.mil/currents. Commands that receive hard copies can contactLorraine Wass ([email protected]) with requests for changes to mailing addresses and shipping quantities.

T H E N A V Y,S E N E R G Y & E N V I R O N M E N TA L M A G A Z I N E

Chief of Naval Operations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division

DIRECTORRear Admiral Kevin R. Slates

DEPUTY DIRECTORMr. Karnig H. Ohannessian

DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACHKenneth Hess

Currents Staff

MANAGING EDITORBruce McCaffrey

Bruce McCaffrey Consulting, [email protected]

773-376-6200

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSKathy Kelley

ART DIRECTORVictoria Bermel

GRAPHIC ARTISTAmy Jungers

DISTRIBUTION MANAGERLorraine Wass

[email protected]

4 N45 Outlook

21 Best Shot

28 Trends of the Environment

42 Spotlight on the New DASN Energy Joseph Bryan

features

departments

summer 2015

22 Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio Captures Mercury-Containing Amalgam WasteChairside Filter Acts as First Line ofDefense at Dental Treatment Facilities

36 “What’s In Your Bay?” Poster

38 Cuban Boa Helps to Maintain Ecosystem Balance at Guantánamo BayNavy & Toledo Zoo Team Studies Reproduction of Cuba’sLargest Predator

50 Chief of Naval Operations Environmental AwardWinners RecognizedAccomplishments Exemplify Navy’s Commitment toEnvironmental Stewardship

68 Carderock Testing New Oil Boom Fouling Release MaterialNew Material Reduces Biofouling, Simplifies Cleaning

50

38

68

Bringing Technology & ResourceManagement Innovations to Make Navy More OperationallyEffectiveWELCOME TO THE summer 2015 issue of Currents.I’d like to draw your attention to a number of the storieswe have included in this issue of the magazine to highlightjust some of the many energy and environmental issuesand initiatives that your Navy is working on.

Featured in this issue of the magazine is the great workthat was done by a number of engineers from the NavalFacilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center(NAVFAC EXWC) who successfully executed severalprojects to promote energy sustainability and waterconservation at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti Africa.

Our cover story “NAVFAC Engineers Execute Energy &Water Conservation Improvements at Camp Lemonnier”describes these efforts that range from improving theenergy efficiency of the base’s Containerized Living Unitsto increasing water conservation measures and reducingsolid waste generated on the base.

We gain insightsfrom Mr. JosephBryan in this issueas he explains hispriorities as thenew Deputy Assis-tant Secretary ofthe Navy forEnergy. KennethHess from mystaff and BruceMcCaffrey,managing editorof Currents, inter-viewed Mr. Bryanfor our “Spotlight”feature to get his perspectives on the energy challengesfacing the Navy today and what needs to be done to facethose challenges.

Also in this issue is a behind-the-scenes look at the winnersof the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) EnvironmentalAwards for fiscal year 2014. In our article “Chief of NavalOperations Environmental Award Winners Recognized” wedescribe the various efforts undertaken by the 2014awardees that warranted this recognition. Admiral Greenerthosted the awards ceremony via video teleconference (VTC)on June 23, 2015 and I had the pleasure of participating.This was the third year the event was done as a VTC, withnearly every winning command worldwide dialing inremotely. High-level Navy, Department of Defense, U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, and National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administrationofficials, as well as representa-tives from the Ocean Conser-vancy and the Coastal StatesOrganization, participatedonsite at the Pentagon.

4 Currents summer 2015

N45 outlook

I would like to personally congratulate the winners of these prestigious awards that demonstrate how environmental stewardship is part of our operational mindset every day both at sea and ashore.

I would like to personally congratulate the winners ofthese prestigious awards that demonstrate how environ-mental stewardship is part of our operational mindsetevery day both at sea and ashore. As Admiral Cullom saidwhen announcing the winners, “These achievementsunderscore that each contribution can have a tremendouslong term impact in conserving our environmentalsurroundings and resources.”

Two other feature stories roundout the line-up for our summerissue. In our story “CarderockTesting New Oil Boom FoulingRelease Material,” ourcolleagues from the NavalSurface Warfare Center inCarderock, Maryland discussthe work they are doing tovalidate the use of an envi-ronmentally friendly non-stick coating in conjunctionwith in-water cleaning toreduce the biofouling of oil

containment booms. And our “NavalMedical Research Unit San Antonio Captures Mercury-Containing Amalgam Waste” article discusses efforts of

personnel from the NavalMedical Research Unit SanAntonio to capture themercury-containing amalgamused in dental procedures andensure ongoing environmentalcompliance of the Navy’sdental treatment facilities.

In our “Trends of the Environ-ment” section, we alert you tothe recent release of annualreports from two of CNO

summer 2015 Currents 5

N45 outlook

N45’s research and developmentprograms—the Living MarineResources program run by AnuKumar and the Navy EnvironmentalSustainability Development to Integra-tion program run by Ken Kaempffe—both from NAVFAC EXWC in PortHueneme, California.

Finally, our center spread in this issue contains a copy ofthe “What’s In Your Bay?” poster which you can detachand hang on the wall in your cubicle or office.

This poster comes to us from our colleagues at the NavalFacilities Engineering Command Southwest and the Spaceand Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific to help promotetheir efforts to protect the marine mammals and fishesthat share the waters of San Diego Bay with us.

Thanks for reading Currents, and for your continuedinterest in the Navy’s energy and environmentalprograms. �

Rear Admiral Kevin R. Slates

Director, Chief of Naval Operation Energy and Environmental Readiness Division

Our center spread in this issue contains a copy of the “What’s In Your Bay?” poster which you can detach

and hang on the wall in your cubicle or office.


NAVFAC Engineers Execute

Energy &WaterCAMP LEMONNIER

Conservation Improvements at

Energy Saving Initiatives & Other Efforts Successful in Forward-deployed Environment


ngineers from the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center

(NAVFAC EXWC) successfully executed several projects to promote energy sustain-

ability and water conservation at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti (CLDJ) Africa.

Located in an extremely arid and harsh climate with base power provided overwhelmingly by

diesel generators, the Camp Lemonnier NAVFAC EXWC Sustainability Team reduced energy

intensity by 13.5 percent relative to the 2003 baseline by making efficiency upgrades to elec-

tric power generation and distribution, air conditioning units, and clothes washing machines.

The team also reduced electric energy use by reducing the need for potable water generation

and wastewater treatment by over 20 percent.

Their efforts were recently commended by Rear Admiral Kevin R. Slates, director of the Chief

of Naval Operations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division. “Especially in areas like

Djibouti, efforts to reduce water and fuel usage with no mission impact can be a huge cost

saver and help reduce challenging logistics burdens,” said Admiral Slates.

Like all remote military facilities, CLDJ must contend with multiple challenges regarding

energy and water use expenditures. This small country located in the Horn of Africa has a

very limited supply of fresh water, a harsh climate, and an unreliable electric power grid.

Because of the camp’s rapidly evolving mission with changing staffing requirements, flexible,

sustainable infrastructure is particularly important.

E

HOW IT ALL BEGANThe Energy Policy Act of 2005 and Exec-utive Orders 13423 (StrengtheningFederal Environmental, Energy, andTransportation Management) and 13514(Federal Leadership in Environmental,Energy, and Economic Performance) allset mandatory goals that call for annualreductions in energy and waterconsumption as well as increased use ofrenewable energy and metering.

To identify what it would take to helpCLDJ achieve its regulatory and ExecutiveOrder goals, engineers from the NavalFacilities Engineering Command’s Engi-neering Service Center (NAVFAC ESC),now NAVFAC EXWC, traveled to the campin 2008. They reviewed the base masterplan supplied by NAVFAC Atlanticpersonnel, and conducted a preliminaryfacility sustainability assessment. Theteam concluded that CLDJ is unique froma sustainability perspective for thefollowing reasons:

1. The facility’s staffing and missionrequirements are evolving, so infrastructure must bereadably adaptable to changing needs.

2. The region does not have a reliable electric grid orpotable water, so the base must be entirely self-sufficient.

3. The harsh climate imposes serious challenges in termsof developing sustainable infrastructure.

After several follow-up discussions with NAVFAC EuropeAfrica Southwest Asia, the NAVFAC ESC team again trav-eled to CLDJ to begin gathering data and researchingpotential solutions. They recommended that CLDJ imple-ment the following efforts:

1. Address Containerized Living Unit (CLU) energy use.

2. Conduct energy sustainability studies.

3. Assess water conservation and aquifer sustainability.

4. Identify solid waste reduction opportunities.

5. Study the feasibility of solar photovoltaic systems.

6. Implement street lighting and conduct an energy audit.

7. Assess the viability of wind power.

8. Assess the efficiency and reliability of the camp’s elec-tric grid.

ADDRESSING CONTAINERIZEDLIVING UNIT ENERGY USEThe inherent challenge with reducing energy usage at CLDJexists because of the climate in Djibouti. The average hightemperature in January is 84 degrees Fahrenheit (F) withnearly 80 percent average humidity. In July, the average hightemperature is 106 degrees F with 43 percent humidity.These climate conditions require year-round air condi-tioning, which contributes to the base’s high energy costs.Because of this, the air conditioning systems used in CLDJ’shousing units were one of the team’s highest priorities, andthe largest single factor in reducing energy consumption.

CLDJ base personnel are primarily housed in metalCLUs, which are constructed by converting shippingcontainers into living spaces. The original CLUs werefurnished with window air conditioners, which provided


The camp estimated that CLU air conditioning consumedapproximately 40 percent of its total energy load.


The old (right) and new (left) CLU airconditioning units at Camp Lemonnier.

Bruce Holden

Camels are a common sight in Djibouti. Bruce Holden

uneven cooling at an unacceptablyhigh noise level.

Just as important, these units place ahigh energy demand on the camp’sdiesel fuel resources. The camp esti-mated that CLU air conditioningconsumed approximately 40 percentof its total energy load. It was thoughtthat this could be significantly

ventilation and air conditioning test.NAWS China Lake was chosen as thetest location due to its extremesummer weather conditions, withoutside air temperature approachinglevels experienced at CLDJ. A 20-footinsulated shipping container, similarin size and insulation performance toa single CLU room at CLDJ, was usedto measure heat gain and experimentwith several methods to distributecooled air within the container.

These experimental data were used inconjunction with a building energymodeling software program to iden-tify potential CLU energy conservationmeasures. It was determined that theexisting 24,000 British Thermal Units(BTU) per hour window-type air condi-tioning units were much too large. Aunit with 9,000 BTU per hour capacitywas all that was required. This smallerunit would be less expensive topurchase and would provide betterhumidity control. The NAVFAC EXWC

reduced by improving the overallenergy efficiency of the CLUs.

The objectives of this effort were to:

1. Identify the most energy efficientsplit air conditioning unit that wasappropriate in a high humidityenvironment.

2. Use energy modeling and perfor-mance testing to identify therequired cooling capacity.

3. Determine the optimum locationfor the evaporation portion of thesystem so that temperature differ-ences within the living space wereminimized.

4. Provide design specifications toimprove the energy efficiency fornewly-purchased CLUs.

This effort began in August 2011, asNAVFAC EXWC and Naval AirWeapons Station (NAWS) China Lakepersonnel collaborated on a heating,


separate study in 2010 explored the potentialfor geothermal energy at CLDJ. The geo-thermal energy potential of Djibouti is esti-

mated to be significant according to studies conductedintermittently since the 1970s, primarily by Djiboutianand Icelandic investigators. While the Navy GeothermalProgram Office found no clear evidence of geothermalresources beneath or directly adjacent to the camp, itcompiled a report detailing how to conduct a geother-mal resource assessment/exploration process.

A geothermal resource must possess heat, fluids, andpermeability to be a successful productionprospect. As with the discovery of any naturalresource in the ground, prospecting for geo-thermal energy revolves around identifyingindicators of the occurrence of that resource.The process involves gathering and interpretinga wide variety of tectonic and geologic data tocreate a picture, or model, for the presence ofa geothermal resource in the ground and thenvalidating that model through actual drilling.

If a more comprehensive geothermal study isundertaken, the first stage would be a two-yearexploration program in which detailed geologi-cal and geophysical data would be gatheredand used to create a three-dimensional modelwith specific drilling targets. This stage alsoincludes drilling several test holes to approximately 500feet. This effort would result in a geologic model thatwould enable the NAVFAC EXWC Sustainability Team todetermine whether additional geotechnical studies arerequired or sufficient information exists to proceed tothe next stage which involves drilling deep discoverywells to a depth of 3,000 to 5,000 feet.

Altogether, if sufficient geothermal resources are foundat or near Camp Lemonnier, the total time from incep-tion of exploration to an operating power plant is esti-mated to be a minimum of seven years. Prior to actualconstruction of a power plant, upfront costs for explo-ration and well development are estimated to be up to$17 million with no guarantee that an economicallyviable resource will be discovered.

If resources are found off-base, a host of other issuessuch as security and contracting issues would have tobe addressed. Fortunately, there is a strong desire onthe part of the Djiboutian government to work with theDepartment of Defense (DoD) in the exploration forand development of resources. Two firms, ReykjavikGeothermal and Geothermal Development Associates,have also inquired if the DoD might be interested inentering into a Power Purchase Agreement. These firmshave completed preliminary explorations in the nearbyLac Asal region, a known source of geothermal energy.If an agreement were to be reached, it is conceivablethat a power plant could be online in three or four years.

The payback from geothermal energy is potentially verysignificant but the upfront costs are non-trivial and mustbe accepted before the exploration process can begin.

A

Close-up of Lac Asal geothermal area shows salt crytalized on exposed rocks.

Bruce Holden

Geothermal Potential?

Lac Asal is a region that has beenidentified as a promising area forgeothermal power development.Bruce Holden

The camp’s replacement of all CLU air conditioning units has been the biggest energy conservation success.


A U.S. airman walks towards a housing areacomposed of CLUs at CLDJ. The triple-stackedunits showed a three to five percent reduction

in necessary power to cool the first and second levels simply by being shaded.

MC1 Class Eric Dietrich

Camels along the road to Lac Asal, a promising geothermal region. Bruce Holden

team also determined that theoptimum split type units had morethan twice the electrical energy effi-ciency of the existing window units.

Split unit systems are so namedbecause they have two components—

purchases and ensured that thecorrect systems were installed atCamp Lemonnier.

Since CLU air conditioning was thelargest single source of electricity useon the camp, the camp’s replace-ment of all CLU air conditioning unitshas been the biggest energy conser-vation success.

In addition to the CLU air conditioningunit replacement, the NAVFAC EXWCteam also investigated the use of CLUshading structures and several report-edly highly thermal reflective paints.Both technologies were initially testedat the NAVFAC EXWC facility in PortHueneme, California. They were latertested at CLDJ. Unfortunately, theCLDJ testing proved that neither ofthese approaches provided significantvalue in reducing the load on the CLUair conditioning units, and theshading structures did not pass long-term wind durability testing so theseideas were not pursued.

an exterior compressor/condenser,and one or more interior unitsinstalled on a wall or ceiling. Refrig-erant is pumped through tubing fromthe outdoor condenser andcompressor to the indoor unit(s).Indoor air to be cooled is drawnacross the unit’s interior evaporatorcoil and distributed via a fan.Humidity is removed from the room’sinterior via a drain in the indoor unit.

Subsequent to the NAWS China Laketesting, the NAVFAC EXWC teamperformed numerous tests at CLDJ toidentify the optimum location for theunit’s evaporator such that tempera-ture differences within the livingspace were minimized. NAVFACEXWC engineers also completedperformance electrical measurementsto verify the results from the buildingenergy modeling efforts. NAVFACAtlantic personnel incorporated thesplit heating, ventilation, and airconditioning systems into all new CLU

CONDUCTING ENERGYSUSTAINABILITYSTUDIESBecause of the inherent instability ofthe Djiboutian power grid, the Navyhas chosen to generate almost allelectricity at CLDJ by onsite dieselgenerators. The Djiboutian power gridhas been known to fail up to severaltimes a day for hours at a time. Evenwhen the power is available from theDjiboutian power grid, its cost isabove the approximately $0.43 perkilowatt hour for the CLDJ generators.

To help reduce this dependence onfuel, NAVFAC EXWC personneltasked the National Defense Centerfor Energy and Environment(NDCEE), operated by ConcurrentTechnologies Corporation (CTC), tooversee two energy reduction effortsat Camp Lemonnier.

Part of the effort to reduce consump-tion included an assessment of theenergy grid. For this task, NDCEEhired Lockheed Martin to conduct anenergy grid assessment. The goals ofthis assessment were to reduce fuelconsumption by increasing generatoroperating efficiency and to increaseoverall system reliability and security.System reliability risks were alsoassessed through the examination ofpower source and distribution compo-nents by exposing single-point failuresin the distribution and control design.

Lockheed Martin engineers spent oneweek on site gathering informationpertaining to the generation, distribu-tion and loading of the current powergrid, which they then entered intotheir proprietary Microgrid PlanningTool to evaluate the power andenergy balances between the loadsand the sources. Through this tool,

Lockheed Martin engineers developedvarious options for reducing fuelconsumption and documented theirrecommendations.

About the GeneratorsGenerators operate most efficientlyat 75 to 80 percent of capacity. Asthe generator loading falls below this

amp Lemonnier is located on the south sideof the Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport.Originally, the camp belonged to the artillery

of France’s 5th Overseas Task Force (5thRIAOM) and was named for a French general.Following use by the 5th RIAOM, the facilitywas operated by the Djiboutian Armed Forces.The U.S. government took up residence in May2003 with the Combined Joint Task Force-Hornof Africa staff, a Marine Corp-based organiza-tion. In January 2007, it was announced thatCamp Lemonnier would be expanded from 97acres to nearly 500 acres. As part of theprocess of transferring the base from an“ expeditionary” base to an enduring facility,tents were replaced with CLUs. CampLemonnier is now under the command ofCommander, Navy Region Europe, Africa,Southwest Asia and is part of the U.S. Africa

Command. The camp has over 4,000 residents. Formore about CLDJ, visit www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnreurafswa/installations/camp_lemonnier_djibouti.html. C

The Basics About Camp Lemonnier


Camp Lemonnier relies almost entirely ondiesel fuel to power the base. Bruce Holden

Improvements to the operation of the energy grid could reducethe amount of fuel needed to produce electricity by up to 13 percent.


level, the generator becomes lessefficient, which results in unburnedfuel exhausted into the atmosphere.The result is carbon buildup insidethe generators, requiring anincreased maintenance frequency toremove the carbon. Underloadingthe generators also affects the enginebearings, resulting in greater mainte-nance requirements and shorteroverall lifespan.

The Lockheed Martin team studiedthe efficiency and performance ofevery generator at CLDJ. Their reportidentified underperforming andunderutilized generators and recom-mended installing an intelligent soft-ware control system to ensure thatthe most efficient generators areutilized to optimum capacity, and thethat the use of the lowest performinggenerators are avoided except as alast resort. This control system wouldintegrate all prime power generators,regardless of manufacturer, and addsan additional layer to the existingcontrol system.

they were chosen for demonstrationand validation at CLDJ.

HPWHs are designed to operate bestat 40 to 90 degrees F. Although it isfrequently hotter than this at CLDJ,positioning the water heaters inside abuilding has a secondary benefit.Because the HPWH absorbs heatfrom the air around it and pulls it into heat water, it also cools the spacewhere it is installed.

A HPWH was demonstrated at CLDJby NDCEE personnel to evaluate itsperformance and to measure theresultant energy savings compared toa baseline conventional water heater.

Energy modeling was also used tomodel the recovery rate of theHPWHs and to calculate themaximum shower duration per day

Changing PowerDistributionThe Lockheed Martin team alsorecommended extending the primepower distribution feeders to includeareas of CLDJ that had been servicedby less efficient spot generators.Transferring these loads to the primepower generators is estimated toresult in a savings of approximately$1.2 million per year based on areduction of 320,000 gallons/year ofdiesel fuel. In addition to extendingthe grid, the Lockheed Martin teamalso recommended that the existingprime power generators be integratedinto one grid.

In total, the Lockheed Martin-recom-mended improvements to the opera-tion of the energy grid could reducethe amount of fuel needed toproduce electricity at Camp Lemon-nier by up to 13 percent. Since thisreport was prepared, several of itsrecommendations have already beenimplemented including extending theelectric grid, phasing out the leastefficient generators and intercon-necting the Camp’s grid.

Heat Pump Water HeatersConventional water heaters use elec-tricity or fuel to heat incoming water toa desired temperature. The water isstored in an insulated tank until used.Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWH) useheat naturally present in the ambientair to heat the water and rely on elec-tricity only to move the heat, resultingin a decrease in energy requirements.Because these water heaters can betwo to three times more efficient thanconventional electric water heaters,

Diesel generators at one ofCLDJ’s power plants.

Bruce Holden

A heat pump water heater. Stephen Schroth

that could occur under desired condi-tions. For laundry purposes, modelingwas used to calculate the maximumnumber of loads per day that couldbe washed and the maximumnumber of loads per hour whilemaintaining the desired washtemperatures.

The results of the demonstration andwater use modeling effort indicatedthat implementing HPWHs will resultin significant energy savings at CLDJ.Annual energy savings for oneHPWH unit for ablution (shower andrestroom) use is estimated at $1,500with a simple payback of 2.1 years.Annual energy savings for oneHPWH unit at the laundry is esti-mated at $4,466 with a simplepayback of 0.7 years.

ASSESSING WATERCONSERVATION & AQUIFERSUSTAINABILITYIn addition to a punishing climate,Djibouti suffers from a scarcity offresh water. Currently, CLDJ usesbrackish groundwater beneath thecamp as their primary water supply.This water is processed through a

reverse osmosissystem before it issuitable for drinking.In conjunction withhydrologists from theU.S. Geological Survey,NAVFAC EXWC engi-neers conducted astudy of groundwaterquality and prepared amodel to help evaluatecurrent and potentialimpacts of the campon the local watertable. Their findingsindicate that the campis having a minimalimpact to the watertable. However, the city of Djibouti isdepleting the groundwater at a fasterrate than it is being replenished, dueto its high temperatures, low rainfalland high evaporation rates. Saltwaterintrusion has already been affectingsome of the city’s wells, raisingconcerns about long-term sustain-ability of the water supply. For thesereasons, water conservation is a highpriority at CLDJ.

NAVFAC EXWC engineers conducted awater conservation study and inven-tory in January 2012 with follow-up

study and inventory in April 2012. Aninventory of water fixtures and testingof fixture flow rates was conducted toquantify water consumption in maleand female ablution CLUs. The largestoverall usage of water on the camp isfor showering. Other primary uses ofwater include laundry operations,vehicle and aircraft washing, toilets,and rest room unit sinks.

Based on the findings and observationsfrom this study, options were summa-rized into immediate, intermediate, andlong-term recommendations.

Because of their dramatic impacts tooverall water savings, the installationof low-flow shower heads and water-efficient washing machines was initi-ated immediately. After less than sixmonths, actual observed reduction inwater use from the installation of 238low-flow shower heads and 72 newwashing machines was 13 milliongallons per year or 17 percent ofoverall base water use. Based on a$0.05 per gallon water productionand treatment cost, the installation ofthe first set of shower heads was estimated to save approximately


CLDJ Water Usage

The groundwater in Dijibouti is very limited and has a high salt content. Shown here is the camp’s combined discharge from its wastewater treatment plant and reverse osmosis water treatment facility. Even though the groundwater has a high salt content, wild dogs still use it as a drinking water source.Bruce Holden

The resulting base-wide water savings are expected to reach 24 percent or 19 million gallons per year.


$1 million per year. The remaining771 shower heads and high-efficiencywashing machines have beeninstalled, and the resulting base-widewater savings are expected to reach24 percent or 19 million gallons (over$2 million per year).

Recommendations in the interme-diate timeframe include installingwater meters to better track wateruse, surveying and repairing leaks ona regular basis, and installing drinking

being combusted. The incineratorswere using up to 1,000 gallons perday of diesel fuel.

In 2012, the NAVFAC EXWC teamconducted a solid waste characteriza-tion to identify the composition andamount of waste generated by thecamp. The characterization entailedphysically sorting solid waste intoselect categories. The intent of thecharacterization was to analyze thefeasibility of energy recapture fromthe incinerators, look at theeconomics of a waste-to-energy (WtE)system, and identify opportunities toreduce the moisture content of thewaste stream entering the incinera-tors. The study found the camp gener-ated 12 tons per day of solid waste,with food waste accounting forapproximately 30 percent of thecamp’s total waste stream,contributing to an overall moisturecontent of 40 percent.

Diverting the majority of this foodwaste would aid the camp inachieving its diversion goals as well ashelp the incinerators sustain a more

fountains with water bottle fixtures toencourage the reuse of water bottles.The drinking water distributionsystem and drinking fountains arecurrently being installed.

Most of the long-term recommenda-tions for water conservation relate tothe treatment of wastewater. Thewastewater plant at CLDJ currentlytreats approximately 180,000 gallonsper day of wastewater. Of this,125,000 gallons per day could theo-retically be treated to tertiary stan-dards and made available for waterreuse applications. However, little ofthe available reuse water is actuallybeing used. This low reuse rate is afunction of not having a good reusewater distribution system.

IDENTIFYING SOLIDWASTE REDUCTIONOPPORTUNITIESIn October 2009, the NAVFAC EXWCteam traveled to Camp Lemonnier toobtain onsite solid waste generationand disposal (recycling, incinerationand landfilling) data. The team foundthat in fiscal year 2009 (FY09), CLDJincinerated 7,897.52 tons of solidwaste at a cost of $650,000. ForFY09, the camp had a diversion rateof 1.04 percent. This was far belowthe diversion goals of 40 percent for2010 and 50 percent for 2015 set inExecutive Orders 13423 and 13514.

A challenge to meeting its diversiongoals was the low performance of thecamp’s incinerators. The incineratorswere experiencing structural internaldecomposition in part due to the highmoisture content of the solid waste

Abigail Goss

Bruce Holden

New shower heads, sink aerators and clothes washers at CLDJ are estimated

to save approximately $2.2 million per year in water costs.

At the outset of this effort, the camp had just a 1.04 percent diversion rate for recycling,well below the DoD’s 40 percent goal.

complete combustion and run muchmore efficiently. The heat content ofthe solid waste material was calculatedto determine the energy available.WtE was feasible, but the current inef-ficient operations of the camp’s incin-erator made it undesirable at the time.

NAVFAC EXWC engineers recom-mended that the camp install thefollowing:

1. Sorting Conveyor

A sorting conveyor will increasethe diversion rate, remove non-combustibles and reduce theamount of moisture in the wastesent to the incinerator.

2. Shredder

A dual axle shear shredder willreduce the particle size of solidwaste material to create betterrefuse-derived fuel. It would alsoshred plastic bottles, therebyremoving excess water containedtherein.

3. Composting System

There is a suitable feedstock (foodwaste) to compost at CLDJ, andthe incinerator’s fuel usageprovides a cost savings incentiveto implement this program.Compost can be used as a soilamendment for the planting ofground cover, which would aid in

dust suppression. Adding compostto soil also aids in water retentionand provides organic material.

The addition of a new galley on thecamp in 2012 had the potential toalter the waste composition enteringthe incinerators, so a second solidwaste characterization was conductedin 2013. The purpose of this follow-up


CLDJ Waste Generation

AVFAC EXWC is the Navy’s premieractivity for facilities and expeditionarytechnology solutions, engineering ser-

vices, equipment logistics and products neededto equip the fleet and meet warfighter require-

ments. NAVFAC EXWC alsodelivers specialized engi-neering and technology solu-

tions that support sustainable facilities and pro-vides logistics and expeditionary systems sup-port for Navy combat force capabilities.

For more information about NAVFAC EXWC,visit www.navfac.navy.mil/navfac_worldwide/specialty_centers/exwc.html.

NThe Basics About the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center

The camp generated 12 tons per day of solid waste, with food wasteaccounting for approximately 30 percent of the camp’s total waste stream.


study was to quantify any changes inthe moisture content and WtE poten-tial. In general, the results of the 2013waste characterization were similar tothe results of the 2012 study. It wasdetermined that WtE was still noteconomically viable.

NAVFAC EXWC engineers developedan integrated solid waste manage-ment plan in 2013 that served as anupdate to the plan developed in2009 and included the followingrecommendations:

1. Modify waste collection andsegregation.

2. Convey incinerator ash off-site forproper disposal.

3. Ensure that sufficient space isavailable for a recycling center.

4. Develop a composting system.

5. Eliminate the use of plastic waterbottles and reduce the number ofliquid-filled water bottles beingsent to the incinerator.

6. Ensure that construction anddemolition debris is reused orrecycled.

7. Eliminate the use of a local opendump through a combination ofrecycling, incinerating andcomposting.

Based on the original 2009 recom-mendations, NAVFAC EXWCpurchased two vertical balers,recycle bins, a truck scale, palletscale and scale management systemto help CLDJ with solid wastemanagement. In 2013, CTCconducted a solid waste manage-

highest solar radiation levels. Todemonstrate the potential for solarpower, solar photovoltaic (PV) panelswere installed in 2010 by NAWS ChinaLake personnel on the roof of a singlecamp CLU. The installation included adata acquisition system so the teamcould monitor the system perfor-mance for a one-year test period.

ment technology studyand recommended aspecific compostingsystem and shredder.

NAVFAC EXWC personnelprepared an EnergyConservation InvestmentProgram (ECIP) submittalfor the acquisition of theshredder and composter.The ECIP was approvedand will fund the capitalcost and a portion of theoperation and maintenancecost and is slated for instal-lation in FY15.

To help reduce the camp’sreliance on bottled water,CLDJ recently switched to awater distribution system(piped water). This hashelped to reduce thenumber of water bottles incineratedor diverted off-base. Construction of anew landfill was initiated in 2012.When finished, some waste (such ascompost and noncombustible mate-rial) can be disposed of there.

STUDYING THEFEASIBILITY OF SOLARPHOTOVOLTAICSYSTEMSAs a result of NAVFAC EXWC’s initial2008 assessment, it was determinedthat solar-generated electric powermight be one of the best options forincorporating renewable power atCLDJ and thus reduce diesel fuelconsumption associated with theexisting generators. Djibouti is locatedin an area of the world with one of the

Dust build-up caused electrical output from the PV panels on installed on a single camp CLU to fall 30 percent in just one month.

PV panels are now cleaned three times per week by an automatic sprinkler system.

A 12-PV CLU roof-mounted system wasinstalled in September 2012.

Unfortunately, due to the dust,wind, and heat, the data acquisitionsystem failed within two months.After a three-month period withoutdata, the data acquisition systemwas briefly brought back on-line. Atthis point the demonstration wassuspended. The limited results fromthis study showed that the electricaloutput was significantly reduced bya dust build-up on the panels, withthe electric output falling up to 30percent in one month. Particularlyin the summer, Djibouti suffers fromvery frequent dust storms, so theseresults were probably not atypical.

Based on these results, it wasdecided to proceed with a newdemonstration that included apanel washing system, animproved data acquisition system,and high-temperature ratedinverters. The original PV systemwas removed and a 12-CLU roof-mounted system was installed inSeptember 2012. Performance data were collected on thenew system for a 7-month demonstration period. At the 7-month point, the new data acquisition system failedduring a severe storm, although the system continues toproduce approximately 57,000 kilowatt hours of electricity

per year. The main result of this demonstration was todetermine that washing the panels three times per weekwas sufficient to maintain the system performance.Although the system currently uses potable water for thecleanings, in the future, reuse water could be employed.

The CLDJ PV panel installation team. Back row, left to right: Builder Constructionman (BUCN)Carnes; Construction Electrician Petty Officer 3rd Class Zonis; Construction Electrician’s Petty Officer 2nd Class Piza; BUCN Seabee Combat Warfare, Michael Coria; Sam Edwards, NAWS China Lake; Matt Malone, NAWS China Lake. Front row, left to right: Steelworker Petty Officer 3rd Class Darcy Via, BUCN Hill, Utilitiesman Constructionman Smith.


NAME TITLE TELEPHONE EMAIL ADDRESSLawrence Batch Environmental Engineer 805-982-1335, DSN: 551-1335 [email protected] Chavez Environmental Engineer 805-982-5314, DSN: 551-5314 [email protected] Fann Environmental Engineer 805-982-1016, DSN: 551-1016 [email protected] Griffin Chemical Engineer 805-982-2267, DSN: 551-2267 [email protected] Hammett Hydrologist 805-982-4839, DSN: 551-4839 [email protected] Holden Environmental Engineer 805-982-6050, DSN: 551-6050 [email protected] Kudo Mechanical Engineer 805-982-4976, DSN: 551-4976 [email protected] Malone* Electronics Engineer 760-939-1184, DSN: 437-1184 [email protected] Rotty Environmental Engineer 805-982-4886, DSN: 551-4886 [email protected] Scoff Mechanical Engineer 805-982-3572, DSN: 551-3572 [email protected]*NAWS China Lake employee

The Camp Lemonnier NAVFAC EXWC Sustainability Team

Over the one-year period, the induction lightsused 56 percent less energy than the High Pressure Sodium fixtures.


IMPLEMENTING ASTREET LIGHTINGIMPROVEMENTPROGRAMEarly in the sustainability program,street lighting at the camp was identi-fied as an area where significant energyimprovement could be achieved. At theonset of this project, there were over500 High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lightfixtures installed at CLDJ.

A NAVFAC EXWC task force undertooka one-year demonstration to deter-mine a more efficient lighting solutionto replace the HPS fixtures. In additionto reduced energy usage, the team’sgoals also included equal or betterlighting performance with appropriateillumination. The team performed amarket survey of information on threetechnologies—induction lighting, Light-emitting Diode (LED) and plasmalights. Plasma lighting was eliminated

atmosphere. Wind velocity is measuredby detecting the shift in the reflection ofthe chirp. This device measures wind at20 meter intervals from 40 meters to200 meters high. The unit takes 10minute averages and records windspeed, direction, and vertical speed.

The wind resource at CLDJ was foundto be poor. The average wind speed at80 meters is 4.6 meters per second(m/s) or 10.3 miles per hour. At 40meters, the wind speed is 4.3 m/s(9.6 miles per hour). In most cases,this would be a non-starter for a windproject since the minimum speedusually required for such a projectmust be at least 13 miles per hour atthe turbine’s hub height. But due tothe high cost of energy at CLDJ, aneconomic analysis was performed.

Because CLDJ has an airfield and isnext to an airport, there are restric-tions that would limit the height ofany wind turbine. Analyses wereperformed for two turbines of accept-able size. However, the combinationof low performance and highconstruction costs clearly showed thatneither project would break even. Forall of these reasons, wind is not acost-effective energy alternative forCamp Lemonnier.

from consideration since it was not yeta proven technology. So the demon-stration proceeded with inductionlighting and LED fixtures. Four induc-tion and two LED fixtures wereprocured, installed, and monitoredover a period of one year.

After a year, both lighting technologiesperformed as expected, with noobserved drop-off in light intensity.Although the LED technology showedlower energy usage per kilowatt hour(kWh), the associated procurementscosts are double that of the inductionlight. In addition, the LED bulbs provideless illumination, and CLDJ personnelencountered difficulty installing thefixtures to the existing street light poles.

Over the one-year period, the induc-tion lights used 56 percent less energythan the HPS fixtures. This translatesto an annual savings of $139,000with an expected payback period ofless than four years.

NAVFAC EXWC personnel recom-mended the procurement of induc-tion light technology for retrofit of all544 of the lamps in street lights atCLDJ. CLDJ submitted an ECIPproposal which was approved. Streetlight retrofits are slated for FY15.

INVESTIGATING WIND POWER A feasibility analysis for wind turbinepower was performed at Camp Lemon-nier between April 2011 and June 2012.Data were collected using a SonicDetection and Ranging (SODAR) unit—a device that is placed on the groundand sends sonic “chirps” into the

Jeff Heath, a former NAVFAC EXWC engineer, in front of the SODAR unit that measures wind velocity. Lawrence Batch

NAVFAC EXWC personnel recommended the procurement of induction light technology for the lamps in all of CLDJ’s street lights.

SAVINGS TO DATEIn total, the NAVFAC EXWC-initiatedprojects to reduce electricity use andproduce renewable energy havereduced the total camp electric loadby an estimated 3.4 percent. Thesplit air conditioning improvementsalone are estimated to save1,575,276 kilowatt hours per year. Intotal, these electric savings reducedthe camp’s need for fuel oil by over400 gallons per day. Additionalefforts by CLDJ to consolidate thecamp’s electric grid into a single gridand phase out their least efficientdiesel generators has led to anoverall 13.5 percent reduction inenergy intensity relative to the 2003baseline. Water savings from NAVFACEXWC’s efforts have been even moresubstantial. A 22 percent reduction inwater use has been achieved.

Significant additional savings willoccur once the following ECIP projectsare completed:

1. Food Waste Composting

Food waste composting will reducethe quantity of fuel oil required tooperate the waste incinerators byup to 1,500 gallons per day.

2. Street Lighting Retrofits

Street lighting retrofits will result indaily savings of 1,835 kWh.

3. Reuse Water Piping System

A reuse water piping system willsave potable water once new mili-tary construction projects are initi-ated that are designed to utilizereuse water. Potential savingscannot be estimated at this time.

NAVFAC EXWC has spent $4.9 millionon this five-year effort. Overall, theexpected payback period is 1.6 years.In addition to cost savings, anotherimportant benefit to these projects is

improved energy security achieved bythe reduced consumption of fuel torun the camp’s generators.

HOW OTHERS CAN BENEFITThe energy-saving practices beingenacted at Camp Lemonnier havewide-ranging implications, particu-larly for military bases located in hotor remote climates. Facilities in Cali-fornia and the American Southwest,for example, are already subject towater shortages, and many basesworldwide struggle with high energycosts. For Forward Operating Basespowered by diesel generators, theinformation provided in these reportsand assessments provide valuableassistance with improving generatorperformance as well as cuttingenergy demand.

News about the CLU air conditioningimprovements (known as theSuperCLU) is spreading. SoldierWarfighter Operationally ResponsiveDeployer for Space (SWORD) is usinga SuperCLU administrative structureas a Command Launch Center for itstest site in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

SWORD is a joint DoD/National Aero-nautics and Space Administrationproject to develop and demonstrate avery low-cost expendable nano-launchvehicle for on-call delivery of minia-turized satellites into Earth’s orbit.

Transformative Reductions in Opera-tional Energy Consumption (TROPEC)just concluded a test of the SuperCLUat Anderson Air Force Base in Guam.TROPEC is an assessment platformfor expeditionary camp solutions. The Army and Air Force conductedconcurrent tests. The Army hasrequested use of the SuperCLU proto-type for 12 months. The NAVFACEXWC team has been coordinatingfunding with U.S. Army NatickSoldier Research, Development andEngineering Center.

For more information on any of theseprojects, contact one of the membersof the Camp Lemonnier NAVFACEXWC Sustainability Team. �

Dave ChavezNaval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary

Warfare Center 805-982-5314DSN: [email protected]


Submit your own Best Shot to Bruce McCaffrey � Currents’ Managing Editor � [email protected]

O N EO FM Y Best Sh ts

Ari Friedlaender � Associate Professor, Fisheries & WildlifeMammal Institute, Oregon State University � [email protected]

icaptured this image of a Risso’s dolphin(Grampus griseus) off of Catalina Island,

California during field work for the Southern California Behavioral Response Study. The tagseen on the animal is a digital tag—a multi-sensor acoustic recording tag that measures thefine-scale movement of the animal and records

sounds that the animal both makes and hears.The work was performed under National MarineFisheries Service permit number 14534.

The photo was taken with a Nikon D3s with a300mm/f2.8 lens, ISO-400 at f/7.1, shutterspeed 1/1600.

PERSONNEL FROM THE NavalMedical Research Unit San Antonio(NAMRA-SA) are exploring an innova-tion to capture mercury-containingamalgam and to ensure ongoing envi-ronmental compliance in Navy dentaltreatment facilities (DTF).

A large number of cavities are filledeach year by Navy dentists to ensureSailors are ready for deployment. Thedental amalgam waste produced from

placing or removing amalgam restora-tions can result in a large release ofmercury into publically owned waste-water streams if it is not controlled atthe dental clinic site.

With the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency’s (EPA) legislation regardingdental amalgam waste pending, newefforts to develop novel materials toincrease the efficiency and specificity ofcontaminant removal from dentalwastewater have been accelerated.

In response to this complex environ-mental challenge, Navy dental facili-ties across the globe are being armedwith a novel amalgam filter tech-nology—a chairside amalgam sepa-rator (Navy U.S. Patent No.DD2011)—developed at NAMRU-SAand sponsored by the Navy Bureau ofMedicine and Surgery that may estab-lish Navy dental facilities as models ofenvironmental stewardship.

The DD2011 chairside amalgam sepa-rator is designed to remove up to96.7 percent of amalgam from dentalwastewater. It is inexpensive, easy toinstall, and available for use across allservices. “In this separator design, wefocused on minimizing and miti-gating the Navy’s amalgam wasteimpact on water, land, air quality, andeven biodiversity. We worked on asystemic solution to reduce mercuryload into the wastewater stream,”said Dr. Amber Nagy, Principal Inves-

tigator andHead ofNAMRU-SA’sBiomaterialsand Environ-mental Surveil-lance Department.

Dental amalgam is ametallic mixture consisting of about 50percent liquid mercury and a powderedalloy that contains silver, tin, and

copper. When mixed, the two compo-nents harden and become a solidmaterial (commonly referred to assilver fillings), which is used to fill cavi-ties in teeth. Dental amalgam iscompletely safe for use in adults andchildren over the age of six. Becausedental amalgam is safe, cost effective,strong, and durable, it is frequentlyused to fill cavities.

Since 2006, the Navy has enforcedinstructions mandating the use of


The DD2011 chairside amalgam separator is designed to remove up to 96.7 percent of amalgam from dental wastewater.

Naval Medical Research Unit San AntonioCaptures Mercury-Containing Amalgam WasteChairside Filter Acts as First Line of Defense at Dental Treatment Facilities

dental amalgam separators since2006. In fact, the Navy developed andpatented the International Organiza-tion for Standardization (ISO) certifiedDD2011 chairside amalgam separatorwhich is now widely used in NavyDTFs and in the private sector.

The DD2011 chairside amalgam sepa-rator is installed on individual dentalchairs and acts as the first line ofdefense for capturing amalgam waste.Recently, the EPA released a draft rulethat included the mandatory use ofamalgam separators in all DTFs toreduce mercury emissions intopublicly-owned wastewater streams.

Effective Lifetime of ChairsideAmalgam Separators & Effects of StorageNAMRU-SA conducted a clinical fieldstudy to evaluate the effective lifetimeof DD2011 chairside amalgam separa-tors. The intent of the study was todetermine the length of time thateach separator could remain installed

mobile DTF deployment. Resultsrevealed that storage of used DD2011chairside separators should be mini-mized (less than one year). Formobile dental units, separatorexchange should be performedapproximately every three months.

Lastly, storage conditions are beingtested to determine if inorganicmercury can be converted to organicmercury, which is more toxic and canaccumulate in the aquatic food chain.

before requiring replacement usingquantitative parameters such asvacuum strength. Metal concentrationin effluents collected downstream ofthe separator was also evaluated.Using data from this study, the effec-tive lifetime of the DD2011 dentalamalgam separator is now designatedas 60 days for high volume DTFs.

The effect of DD2011 chairsideamalgam separator storage on metalretention was also studied to simulate

NAMRU-SA WAS DESIGNATED to lead mercury abatementefforts for DTFs in 2011. NAMRU-SA’s Department of Biomaterialsand Environmental Surveillance encompasses not only mercuryabatement efforts, but also investigates novel solutions to ensureNavy DTFs comply with federal and local environmental conserva-tion laws. The department is led by Dr. Amber Nagy and utilizesinterdisciplinary expertise of dentists, microbiologists, toxicologists,chemical engineers, and analytical chemists. The main goal of thedepartment is to manage the dental waste burden from dentalclinics and reduce mercury release.

The NAMRU-SA laboratory is fully functional and has expertcapabilities in heavy metal analysis by atomic absorption spec-trophotometry, small molecule quantification by high perfor-mance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS),automated microwave digestion and dilution systems, and cyto-

toxicity assays. Additional capabilities to measure metals at partper billion levels using inductively coupled plasma mass spec-trometer are expected to be completed by September 2015.NAMRU-SA’s environmental surveillance team takes full advan-tage of these capabilities.

The NAMRU-SA environmental surveillance team has severalprojects underway aimed at improving the current amalgam sepa-rator systems and developing novel, more efficient waste filtrationsolutions. These projects include investigating the effects ofDD2011 storage, utility of DD2011 in removal of Bisphenol A(BPA), improvements for a quick disconnect of the DD2011, analarm system to signal time to change the separator, educatingand training Navy DTFs and the public about the availability andproper use of the DD2011, and the development of next genera-tion filtration strategies.


The DD2011 chairside amalgam separator is installed using existing dental chair hoses. Several adaptors with various diameters are available to accommodate dental hose specifications. Flisa Stevenson

More About the Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio

The NAMRU-SA team is developing a highly sensitivemethod for organic mercury detection using HPLC/MS.This method will allow for fast identification of mercuryspecies in wastewater. Data from these studies will lead tobetter filtration systems that may reduce mercury conver-sion into the more toxic organic forms by capturingmercury and other metal ions before entering the publicwastewater systems.

Utility of ChairsideAmalgam SeparatorAgainst Bisphenol AEnvironmental effects ofchemicals originating fromdental wastewater are notlimited to amalgam. Fillingmaterials such as dentalresin composites can alsocontain parent materials thatcan degrade into BPA. BPA islisted on the EPA’s chemicalsof concern list due to itshormone disrupting proper-ties. An EPA-developedaction plan aims to reduceinput of BPA into the envi-ronment and will likely resultin the development of a BPAbest management practice.Recognizing the impact ofBPA on the environment,NAMRU-SA is evaluating theBPA retention efficiency ofthe DD2011 chairside

LEFT: Female connector attached to end of the DD2011 chairside amalgam separator. CENTER: Dental chair hose with male adaptor that will clamp onto the female end and form a seal with the o-ring. RIGHT: Fully connected hose and separator, secured with pin.Flisa Stevenson


amalgam separator. For more information about EPA’sefforts to minimize the potential environmental impacts ofBPA, visit the following page on the Agency’s website:www.epa.gov/opptintr/existingchemicals/pubs/actionplans/bpa.html.

Based on data reported in scientific literature, NAMRU-SAhypothesized that the contact angle of the filter insideamalgam separators is an important factor to consider

The chairside amalgam separator is easily installed on a dental chair and secured by brackets to reduce leakage and minimize tripping hazards. Flisa Stevenson


when assessing retention efficiencyof filtering material against organicchemicals such as BPA. The contactangle of a filter determines if thefilter media is hydrophilic (lowcontact angle) or hydrophobic (highcontact angle). Current studies areunderway to better understand theutility of DD2011 amalgam separa-tors to remove BPA and BPA-derivedcontaminants.

The survey also identified the need forbracket clamps to secure the sepa-rator to dental chairs, reduce trippinghazards and other safety relatedissues associated with storing separa-tors on the floor. No commercial off-the shelf products are available.

Quick disconnect adapter fittingshave been developed to resolve sepa-rator removal and reinstallationefforts for Navy DTFs worldwide. Thequick disconnects are expected to beavailable for bulk purchase by the fallof 2015.

Alarm System Development forChairside Amalgam SeparatorsOne of the major issues plaguingnearly all of the amalgam separatorsystems on the market is the fact thatnone contain alarm systems to alertdental staff when the system hasreached its effective lifetime. Thecurrent mode of operation is toexchange separators based on theamount of time they are in service.The proposed maintenance protocolof the amalgam separator calls forreplacing individual filters every 60days, regardless of use.

To better understand the lifetimeeffectiveness of the DD2011 chairsideamalgam separator, NAMRU-SAexecuted a method to convert andrecord vacuum pressures. Specifically,NAMRU-SA designed a prototypicvacuum sensor that uses pressuretransducers to convert pressuremeasurements upstream and down-stream of the chairside amalgamseparator into electrical signals. Thesesignals are then digitized, logged, andconverted to pressure values. Data arerecorded in real time, and if vacuumlevels fall below pre-programmednumbers, an audial alarm alerts usersthat the DD2011 amalgam separator

Quick Disconnects for Chairside Amalgam SeparatorsResults from a recent field surveyrevealed difficulties with the installa-tion and replacement of the chairsideamalgam separators. The survey iden-tified the need for new quick discon-nects to secure the separator ontovacuum tubing to expedite separatorremoval and reinstallation efforts.

Prototypic vacuum pressure transducers and data logger.TOP: The vacuum transducer setup assembly and calibration.CENTER: Prototypic pressure transducer installed on a dental chair for validation experiments.BOTTOM: Computing device for data logging and output for subsequent data conversion topressure values.Flisa Stevenson

may be clogged and should bereplaced. This prototype will beinstrumental for testing theperformance of new amalgamseparator materials and designs.

NAMRU-SA is also developing aminimally invasive flow sensorthat monitors the lifespan ofindividual chairside separators,thereby reducing maintenancecost and waste. The monitoringsystem will implement a flowmeter, which is an effective andeconomical method to quantifythe volume of fluid in the dentalchair system. The flow metersystem, positioned downstreamof the separator, calculates thetotal volume of fluid servicedthrough the separator and noti-fies the users, visually andaudibly, of scheduled cleaningand maintenance. By quanti-fying the lifespan of individualseparators, DTFs can extend theuse of the chairside amalgamseparator without sacrificing theseparator efficacy. These projectsare crucial for implementingdental amalgam separationstrategies to maintain environ-mental compliance.

Education & Training onChairside AmalgamSeparatorsOne of the most important goalsof the NAMRU-SA environmentalsurveillance team and the dentalwaste mercury abatement program iseducating Navy DTFs and the publicabout the availability and proper useof the DD2011 chairside amalgamseparator. Commands can purchasethe DD2011 along with brackets tosecure the separator onto dentalchairs. Additionally, NAMRU-SA


Scanning electron microscopy of nanocellulose filter membranes. TOP: Glass mat substrate that supports nanocellulose membrane deposits. BOTTOM: Higher magnification of nanocellulose membrane supported by glass fibers. Dr. Joyce Breger

supports a mercury abatementwebsite at www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmrc/Pages/mercury_pgfin.html.

The website highlights the importanceof EPA compliance and provides linksfor training manuals and a presenta-tion to share with dental staff.Commands should take special careto dispose of used separators byfollowing their Command’s hazardous

waste disposal instructions. Importantinformation regarding safe and properdisposal of the separators and detailsfor ordering replacement separatorscan be found online in the trainingmanuals. The NAMRU-SA mercuryabatement program has a dedicatedhotline available to answer questionsregarding DD2011 purchase, installa-tion, and disposal.


The Next Generation of Filtration StrategiesWith the EPA’s legislation regarding dental amalgamwaste pending, new efforts are underway to developnovel materials to increase the efficiency and specificityof contaminant removal from dental wastewater. NAMRU-SA and Dr. Michael Daniele and Dr. Joyce Breger from theNaval Research Laboratory’s Center for Bio/Molecular

The chairside amalgam separator has a relatively small footprint and is an easy, low-cost solution for minimizing release of dental amalgam waste.

Flisa Stevenson

Contact the Mercury Abatement Program

Website: www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmrc/Pages/mercury_pgfin.html

Hotline: 210-539-8209

Email: [email protected]

Science & Engineering in Washington, D.C. have forged anew collaboration to develop a functionalized filtermedium consisting of nanocellulose to enhance the effi-ciency of amalgam separators. Customization and func-tionalization of the nanocellulose platform will provideadditional measures to remove harmful substances fromdental waste. Further, nanocellulose is an excellent candi-date material to use because it is sustainable and isamenable to chemical modifications. This approach willnot only remove metal contaminants, but also be effec-tive against BPA.

The researchers are hopeful that development and func-tionalization of nanocellulose as an alternative, biocompat-ible filtration strategy can be incorporated into otherpractical applications that enhance the health, safety, andoperational readiness of Sailors. �

Note: The data discussed in this article were collected usingresources provided by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.

Amy CheathamBureau of Medicine and Surgery703-681-5367DSN: [email protected]

Amber NagyNaval Medical Research Unit San Antonio210-539-7017DSN: [email protected]


3. Electric motor driven fans

More efficient electric motor driven fans replacedmany of the compressed-air movers used to ventilatespaces on ships in overhaul. They use a fraction of theenergy and are quieter.

4. Compressed air drive mechanisms

Drive mechanisms for large forge hammers used insteel fabrication were changed from steam-driven tocompressed air, saving considerable energy when theforge hammers are in standby.

5. Automated valves in water distribution lines

Exposed water distribution lines on piers and dry-docks are protected from freezing by automatedvalves that allow a trickle of water to flow duringfreezing temperatures.

6. Energy-efficient power supplies

Most welding machine power supplies were replacedwith more energy-efficient models.

Striving for sustainability, the Naval Base Kitsap EnergyTeam in Bremerton continues to identify and implementenergy improvements for the industrial infrastructure.

Boilers at the base’s steam plant will undergo an upgradethat is scheduled for completion in summer 2015. Theproject involves recovering heat from the boiler’s exhaustgases, using an energy recovery heat exchanger andpumping system, and pre-heating the boiler’s feed waterusing the recovered heat.

The project also replaces the constant speed exhaust gasfan with a variable speed fan and motor. Driving the fan atreduced speed saves significant energy when operating atpartial load. Boiler tubes were cleaned to improve heattransfer, and condensate tanks were insulated to retainheat from the returned condensate.

Because the 2,300-volt high-intensity street light fixtureswere wired in series, repairs required shutdown of theentire string to replace lamps. The new light-emittingdiode light fixtures use 480-volt power, require less main-tenance, consume about half the energy, and will be indi-vidually wired. This project is scheduled for completion inthe summer of 2015.

Smaller industrial energy initiatives can collectively add upto big savings. Some improvements recently completed orcurrently in construction include:

Puget Sound Naval ShipyardContinues Industrial EnergyInnovations

Facility Improvements Save Energy While ImprovingProductivity

OVER THE YEARS, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard &Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS&IMF) has imple-mented many facility improvements that save energy andeven improve productivity.

Approximately 45 percent of the facility energy use forNavy Region Northwest can be attributed to PSNS&IMF, atenant command of Naval Base Kitsap located inBremerton, Washington.

The shipyard’s mission of repairing and overhauling theNavy’s fleet is energy intensive and industrial in nature.Standard facility energy improvements appropriate foroffice spaces may have little impact on the command’soverall energy use. Shipyard specific energy improve-ments are needed for industrial energy savings. Overthe years, PSNS&IMF has implemented the followingfacility improvements to save energy and improveproductivity:

1. Automated doors

High speed automated roll-up doors open and close asforklifts approach.

2. Fluorescent lighting

Fluorescent lighting designed for mounting heights upto 80 feet in high-bay shop areas, provides improvedlight quality when compared to previous halide andsodium lighting, and uses half the energy. Fluorescentlights can be turned on and off as needed, while halideand sodium lights had to be left on to avoid longwarm-up periods.

PSNS&IMF has implemented anumber of facility improvements

to save energy and improve productivity.

trends of the environment

� Reducing steam distribution pressure in certain distrib-ution lines during the summer period of low steam use

� Insulating welding rod storage ovens

� Sealing unused mezzanine roof ventilators

� Installing additional high speed roll-up doors

� Replacing rectifiers with energy-efficient models

� Adding controls to the cooling of rectifier powersupplies and a metal parts degreaser

� Changing the heat source for parts cleaning dip tanksfrom steam to hydronic

� Replacing compressed air agitators in dip tanks withmechanical agitators

� Recovering waste heat from furnaces

� Recovering waste heat from compressors

� Replacing dampers on gravity vents

� Installing variable frequency drives on motors

� Repairing compressed-air leaks

� Improving daylight controls in shop areas with largewindows

� Adding accessible switching for shop lighting systems

� Adding insulation

Additional projects are under development include steamtrap replacements, retro-commissioning of buildingheating, ventilation and air conditioning controls, installa-tion of more light-emitting diode lighting, improvement ofphotocell controls, installation of water-saving fixtures, andinstallation of a steam alternative in an inefficient steamdistribution leg.

Achieving a steady drop in energy use over the long termin an industrial setting isn’t easy. Many of the systemsaren’t covered in energy management text books, andmost of them are considered mission critical. Industrialenergy management requires a continuing commitmentto evaluating energy-using processes, communicating withthe personnel who do the work, and implementingimprovements. �

Leslie Yuenger Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest360-396-6387DSN: [email protected]


The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is undergoing a plannedincremental availability at PSNS&IMF where the ship will

receive scheduled maintenance and upgrades. MC2 Ryan J. Mayes


Join SERDP & ESTCP for anUpcoming Webinar

Promoting the Transfer of Innovative, Cost-Effective &Sustainable Solutions

THE STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL Research andDevelopment Program (SERDP) and the EnvironmentalSecurity Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) willcontinue offering their webinar series throughout 2015 topromote the transfer of innovative, cost-effective andsustainable solutions developed by both programs. Theseries targets end users, including practitioners, the regula-tory community and researchers. The primary objective ofthe series is to provide these end users with cutting-edgeand practical information from sponsored research andtechnology demonstrations in an easily accessible formatat no cost to participants.

The webinars are held approximately every two weeks onThursdays from 12:00 to 1:30 pm Eastern time. Eachwebinar features distinguished speakers from one ofSERDP and ESTCP’s five program areas:

1. Energy and Water

2. Environmental Restoration

3. Munitions Response

4. Resource Conservation and Climate Change

5. Weapons Systems and Platforms

Webinar dates and topics for the rest of the year includethe following:

Following the completion of each live webinar, archives ofthe presentation and audio will be available online.

To view the complete schedule of upcoming webinars aswell as to access archived files of past webinars, visitwww.serdp-estcp.org/Tools-and-Training/Webinar-Series.

SERDP is the Department of Defense’s (DoD) environ-mental science and technology program, planned andexecuted in partnership with the Department of Energyand the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, withparticipation by numerous other Federal and non-Federalorganizations. The program focuses on cross-servicerequirements andpursues solutions tothe Department’senvironmental chal-lenges while enhancingand sustain ing militaryreadiness.

ESTCP is DoD’s environ-mental technology demonstration and validationprogram. Projects conduct formal demonstrations atDoD facilities and sites in operational settings to docu-ment and validate improved performance and costsavings. Demonstration results are subject to rigoroustechnical reviews to ensure that the conclusions are accu-rate and well supported by data.

For more information, visit www.serdp-estcp.org. �

Lucia ValentinoSERDP and ESTCP Support [email protected]


DATE TOPIC

July 16, 2015 Watershed Assessment and Stormwater Management Optimization Tools

August 20, 2015 Characterization and Remediation in Fractured Rock Environments

September 17, 2015 Munitions Response: Water Geophysical Sensors

October 1, 2015 Hexavalent Chrome Elimination from Hard Chrome Surface Finishing

October 15, 2015 Remote Methods for Water Conservation

October 29, 2015 Assessment and Treatment of Contaminated Sediments

November 12, 2015 Munitions Response: Land Based Program Closeout

December 3, 2015 Emerging Contaminants: DoD Overview and State of Knowledge on Fluorochemicals and 1,4-Dioxane

December 17, 2015 Resource Conservation and Climate Change


by local regulations and should be discouraged evenwhere local regulations permit landfill disposal of elec-tronic waste.

Local recyclers and businesses may offer free electronicsrecycling and if so, DoD installations are encouraged topartner with them. If not, the new BlueEarth programprovides an easy alternative. Personally-owned printercartridges and small electronics such as cell phones,laptops, and almost any such item under 20 pounds canbe shipped free of charge to a pre-authorized address forsecure disposal by Clover Technologies, Inc. Hard driveswill be erased via DoD data sanitization standards. (Note:This program is only for personally owned E-waste.Unwanted government property should be turned into theDefense Logistics Agency (DLA). If an item is damagedand unacceptable for disposal by DLA, your command willprovide an alternative.

The BlueEarth program can even provide your office withmeasurable results through online reports.

To participate, simply box up the item or items you’d liketo dispose of, then go to www.fedrecycling.com. Afterentering your address and a few details about your item,you can print out a mailing label, and either drop youritem in a mailbox or schedule a pickup at your home, allvia the same website.

It’s easy and a great way to keep thousands of items outof landfills.

For more information about the BlueEarth program visithttp://blueearth.usps.gov. �

Jennifer ThranNaval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support717-605-5296DSN: [email protected]

U.S. Postal Service Launches Free Federal Trade-in & RecyclingProgram

BlueEarth Program Allows Defense DepartmentEmployees to Drop Their Recyclables in the Mail

DO YOU KNOW that the average American home has24 used, unwanted electronic items? Products such as oldcomputers, cell phones and other electronics are difficultto dispose of because they typically contain hazardousconstituents such as lead, cadmium and mercury.

To simplify recycling of these items, the United StatesPostal Service (USPS) has launched the BlueEarth™ federalrecycling program. This program allows participatinggovernment service employees to recycle their personalsmall electronics and empty printer cartridges through asimple three-step process.

Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environ-mental Energy and Economic Performance (2009) autho-rized the program, which was set forth in a Memorandumof Understanding between the USPS and the Departmentof Defense (DoD).

Proper disposal of personally owned electronic waste (e-waste) by service members and families living in militaryhousing or aboard military vessels is the responsibility ofthe service member, unless disposal is otherwiseaddressed in the terms of a Public Private Venture housingcontract. Disposal as municipal waste may be prohibited

To participate, simply box up the item or items you’d like to

dispose of, then go towww.fedrecycling.com.



CNO Environmental Research &Development Programs ReleaseAnnual Reports

First-ever LMR Report Joins Latest NESDI Year InReview Report

THE LIVING MARINE Resources (LMR) program andthe Navy Environmental Sustainability Development toIntegration (NESDI) program have released their annualreports to highlight each program’s accomplishments infiscal year 2014 (FY14).

The LMR program addresses the Navy’s key researchneeds and transitions the results and technologies foruse within the Navy’s at-sea environmental complianceand permitting processes. Its goals include improvingmarine species impact analysis (including marinemammal take estimates), mitigation measures andmonitoring capabilities. As the first report of a relativelynew program (formed in 2012), the LMR 2014 reportincludes a summary of the program’s history, along withits mission statement, an explanation of program struc-ture and relative responsibilities of Navy research andmonitoring programs, and an overview of how the LMRprocess works. It also provides a list of publications from2013 and 2014 that were partially or fully funded by theLMR program.

The NESDI program’s mission is to demonstrate, validateand integrate innovative technologies, processes, and mate-rials; and to fill knowledge gaps to minimize operationalenvironmental risks, constraints and costs while ensuringFleet readiness. The NESDI report contains information onprogram funding and trends, as well as a detailed descrip-tion of the program’s process,including an overview ofneeds collected and theproposals gathered in FY14.

The LMR report includestwo-page descriptions of thenine projects launchedduring FY14. These include:

� Project 2: IntegratedReal-time AutonomousPassive Acoustic Moni-toring System (PAM)

Packaging a system of low, medium and highfrequency sensors and on-board digital signal proces-sors into an autonomous underwater vehicle tosupport detection, classification, localization andtracking of baleen and beaked whales.

� Project 3: Simple Performance-characterized Auto-matic Detection of Marine Mammal Sounds

Building a database of specific, characteristic marinemammal audio signals that can be integrated into anexisting PAM software package (Ishmael) to automati-cally detect and classify many marine mammal species.

� Project 4: Demonstration of High-performance PAMGlider and Profiler Float

Demonstrating two autonomous PAM glider and floatplatforms that would allow the Navy to cost-effec-tively monitor marine mammals anywhere in theworld including remote and non-instrumentedtraining areas.

� Project 5: Development of Automated Whistle andClick Detectors and Classifiers for Odontocete Species

Building on existing acoustic data to create fully-automated and geographically-specificwhistle and click classifiers for odontocetes, initiallyfocused on three Navy range locations.

� Project 6: Database and Metrics for Testing AutomatedSignal Processing for Passive Acoustic Monitoring

Constructing marine mammal call datasets that can beused for development, testing and evaluation of auto-matic PAM signal processing systems that wouldsupport call detection and classification for each of themajor naval training areas.



� Project 7: Technology Demonstrationfor Navy Passive Acoustic Monitoring

Modifying the High-frequency AcousticRecording Package (HARP), currentlyused on several Navy ranges, for newstorage media that will boost datastorage capacity, enabling sensors tobe deployed continuously with infre-quent servicing.

� Project 8: Improving the Navy’sAutomated Methods for PassiveUnderwater Acoustic Monitoring ofMarine Mammals

Adjusting algorithms in the GeneralizedPower Law (GPL) processor, a transientsignal detector that has worked wellwith humpback whale data, to usewith specific marine mammals. Callcounts will be environmentally cali-brated to improve density estimates.

� Project 9: Electrophysiological Correlates of Subjec-tive Loudness in Marine Mammals

Finding a correlation between specific features ofauditory evoked potentials (AEP) and perceived loud-ness in marine mammals to define weighting func-tions will help to identify frequencies where auditorysensitivity is high and allow more individuals/speciesto be directly tested.

� Project 10: The Effects of Noise on Marine Mammals

Developing a publicly accessible database of litera-ture on marine mammal bioacoustics as part of abroader project to update a highly cited 1995 bookon the effects of noise on marine mammals. Overallthis project will consolidate two decades of marinemammal studies relevant to the Navy at-sea environ-mental compliance process.

The NESDI report profiles “new starts” for FY14 anddiscusses projects that were particularly successful overthe course of the year in demonstrating the use of aninnovative technology or integrating critical informationto stakeholders across the Navy. Some notable accom-plishments in FY14 include:

� Project 440: Surface Cleaning of Drydock Floors

This project developed a method and vehicle forremoving hazardous wastes from drydock floors.

� Project 455: Modeling Tool for Navy Facilities to Quantify Sources, Loads, and Mitigation Actions ofMetals in Stormwater Discharges

This team developed a modeling tool to help sitemanagers develop and implement control practices toreduce metal concentrations in stormwater runoff.

� Project 458: Advanced Non-Chromate Primers andCoatings

In an effort to remove hexavalent chromium from thewaste stream, this team demonstrated and validated a new,state-of-the-art non-chromate primer and drafted an autho-rization letter to allow seven aircraft platforms to use it.

� Project 459: Demonstration and Validation of SedimentEcotoxicity Assessment Ring Technology for ImprovedAssessment of Ecological Exposure and Effects

The team conducted a successful field stormwaterdemonstration of an integrated in situ bioassessmenttool, the Sediment Ecotoxicity Assessment Ring, devel-oped under a Strategic Environmental Research andDevelopment Program project.

� Project 464: Tertiary Treatment and Recycling of WasteWater

This project team demonstrated a manmade wetland forreclamation and reuse of wastewater. In FY14, the teamreceived a permit allowing its use for subterranean irriga-tion at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.


For More Information

FOR MUCH MORE insights into the LMR program’s recent investments, read ourcover story “LMR Program Launches Efforts to Improve Marine Species MonitoringTechniques, Equipment & Analyses: New Projects Range from Hardware Upgradesto Improved Data Collection& Analysis Methods” in thespring 2015 issue ofCurrents. You can find anelectronic copy of this articleand browse the Currentsarchives at the Departmentof the Navy’s Energy, Envi-ronment and ClimateChange web site at http://greenfleet.dodlive.mil/currents-magazine.



Mandy Shoemaker (LMR program)Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center805-982-5872DSN: [email protected]

Ken Kaempffe (NESDI program)Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center805-982-4893 DSN: [email protected]

� Project 469: Validation of aLow Tech StormwaterProcedural Best Manage-ment Practice

This team validated thatpower vacuuming and high-pressure washing ofimpervious surfaces reducedaverage loading of copperand zinc on three San Diegopiers by 75 percent and 40percent, respectively.

Both the LMR and NESDIprograms are sponsored by the Chief of Naval OperationsEnergy and Environmental Readiness Division andmanaged by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

To obtain a hard copy of either report, contact LorraineWass at 207-384-5249 or [email protected].

An electronic (pdf) version of the LMR report can bedownloaded from www.lmr.navy.mil. An electronic (pdf)copy of the NESDI report can be downloaded fromwww.nesdi.navy.mil. �

Have some good news about your energy or environmental program?Want to share it with others? Currents is the place to do it. Currents, theNavy’s official energy and environmental magazine, has won first place inthe Navy’s Chief of Information Merit awards competition three times.Most recently, the magazine snagged an honorable mention in the 2014competition. Its people like you and the stories you submit that makeCurrents the best magazine in the Navy.

So if you have a story that you’d like us to promote in our winter 2015 issue,submit your text and images by Friday, October 16, 2015. Any submissionsreceived after this date will be considered for our spring 2016 issue.

You can get a copy of the Currents article template by sending an email toBruce McCaffrey, our Managing Editor, at [email protected] template has proven to be a tremendous asset in helping us edit andtrack your article submissions. Bruce is also available at 773-376-6200 ifyou have any questions or would like to discuss your story ideas. Anddon’t worry. If writing isn’t one of your strengths, we’ll handle all of theediting necessary to get your submission into publishable form.

As a reminder, your Public Affairs Officer must approve yourarticle before we can consider it for inclusion in the magazine.

Don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook/navycurrents. Currents’ Facebook page helps expand the reachof the magazine and spread the news about all the great workyou’re doing as the Navy’s energy and environmental guardians.

Currents DeadlinesWinter 2016 Issue: Friday, October 16, 2015Spring 2016 Issue: Friday, January 15, 2016Summer 2016 Issue: Friday, April 15, 2016Fall 2016 Issue: Friday, July 15, 2016

You can also refer to your Currents calendar forreminders about these deadlines.

Tell Your Story in Currents • Due Date for Winter 2016 Issue Submissions is October 16, 2015



What’s Behind the “What’s In Your Bay?” PosterPERSONNEL FROM THE Navy Facilities EngineeringCommand (NAVFAC) Southwest and the Space and NavalWarfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) commis-sioned a “What’s in Your Bay?” poster to promote theNavy’s efforts to protect the habitat in and around SanDiego Bay as well as the green turtles and fishes thatinhabit the bay. This beautifully illustrated poster (seenext page) highlights four focus areas of the Navy’snatural resource management efforts to ensure compati-bility with its operations and the ongoing health of thebay and its inhabitants.

1. Eastern Pacific Green Sea Turtles

A small population of federally threatened EastPacific green sea turtles hasbeen living throughout SanDiego Bay since at least themid-1800s. Collisions with boatsand accidental ingestion oftrash, especially plastic bagsand balloons threaten theirsurvival. You can help recoverSan Diego Bay’s green seaturtles by not pollut ing the baywith trash and obeying allposted boating speed limit signs.

2. Essential Fish Habitat

San Diego Bay’s extensiveeelgrass beds support a healthymarine ecosystem and helpconserve a sustainable recre-ational fishery enjoyed by manyanglers. Eelgrass, a type ofmarine plant, has been classi-fied as Essential Fish Habitatunder federal law, as these

plants provide many ecological benefits for fishes andinvertebrates in the marine environment.

3. Sensitive Shorebirds and Seabirds

San Diego Bay is home to thousands of migratory andresident birds and waterfowl. Some of the sensitive birdspecies you may spot while on the bay include thefederally endangered California Least Tern, federallythreatened Western Snowy Plover, and the successfullyrecovered California Brown Pelican. These birds find nobetter home for nesting or feeding than San Diego’sshorelines and nearshore coastal waters. Managing thesesensitive bird species provides for the sustainability ofnatural resources, which supports the Navy’s mission.

4. Fishing Regulations

California state fishing regulations require all anglers tohave a fishing license for shore and boat fishing, withthe exception of public piers in ocean or bay waters. Itis your responsibility to comply so that this great sportcan be enjoyed by future generations.

For an electronic copy of this poster, contact JessicaBredvik at [email protected] or 619-532-4182. Andbe on the lookout for the next poster from our NAVFACSouthwest and SSC Pacific colleagues—Life on the Edge—in a future issue of Currents. �

About the Illustrations

ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE poster were created by Calene Luczo of Luczo Illustration &Design. Calene takes a multi-step process when designing renditions of biologicalspecies. She conducts research and collects hundreds of reference images to ensurethat anatomy and physical characteristics are appropriate. Calene then hand-paints eachspecies using water-color paint andgouache (an opaquewatercolor paint). Shethen scans all of thehand-painted imagesat high resolution anduses both AdobePhotoshop andAdobe Illustrator tocomplete her designand incorporate finalcopy and logos.

This beautifully illustrated posterhighlights four focus areas

of the Navy’s natural resourcemanagement efforts.


RESEARCHERS FROM THE NavalFacilities Engineering Command(NAVFAC) Atlantic, NAVFAC Southeast,and the Toledo Zoo are studying thedemographics of the Cuban boa todevelop a species management planfor Naval Station (NS) Guantánamo Bay.

Living on the rocky hillsides andgrassy slopes of NS Guantánamo Bayis a large snake species (up to 15 feet long) that serves a key role inmaintaining ecosystembalance. The Cuban boa(Chilabothrus angulifer) isthe top predator in thisecosystem and under-standing its populationdynamics and reproductivebiology directly supportsthe military mission byproviding a healthyecosystem for militarytesting and training.

Researchers from NAVFACSoutheast, NAVFAC Atlantic,the Toledo Zoo, and the NSGuantanamo Bay Environ-mental Department take aspecial interest in ensuringthe boa’s future on theStation. They have

completed a long-term radio-telemetry study on Cuban boa habitatuse and movement patterns, and arenow tackling the more difficult prob-lems of determining the populationdynamics of NS Guantánamo BayCuban boas, especially the populationdensity and its trajectory towardexpansion or decline. Using this infor-mation, along with data from theirprior research, they will develop amanagement plan for the Cuban boa

to ensure its continued survival on theStation. The unique advantages of NSGuantánamo Bay, such as large tractsof undisturbed habitat, active protec-tion of wildlife, and veterinarysupport, make collection of this infor-mation feasible.

Cuban boas may live more than 30years in the wild and the reproductivepotential of large females, which arerare in Cuba outside the fence line, is


Cuban Boa Helps to Maintain EcosystemBalance at Guantánamo BayNavy & Toledo Zoo Team Studies Reproduction of Cuba’s Largest Predator

Naval Station Guantánamo Bay.

not known. As females reproduce no more often than onceevery two years and take five or more years to mature, ittakes a long-term research commitment to collect the datanecessary to understand the life history parameters anddemographic trends that allow modeling of Cuban boapopulations. A variety of factors determine the populationdynamics of the Cuban boa including: age at first reproduc-tion, reproductive interval, litter size, survivorship, andother factors relating to the demographics of the popula-tion. The combination of Command and Joint Task Forcebuy-in, partnership synergy, and shared financial and logis-tical support has made this effort possible.

Cuban boas court and mate on the Station from mid-Aprilto early June and, although females mate biennially, malesare capable of reproducing every year and seek out newfemales when their preferred females are unreceptive.Males, several of which may compete for attention of thesame female simultaneously often exhibit ritualized malecombat, a form of body wrestling in which males attemptto push each other to the ground or dislodge a competitorfrom contact with a female. After the dominance of aparticular male is established, he uses his pelvic spurs


For more information about efforts to use technology to collect habitat and movement pattern data on the Cuban boa aboard NS Guantánamo Bay, read our article “Toledo Zoo & Navy Partner to Study Cuban Boa: Researchers Use GIS & Other Technology toCollect Biological Data” from the winter 2007 issue of Currents. An electronic copy of this article is available from Bruce McCaffrey, ourmanaging editor, at [email protected] or 773-376-6200.

Peter Tolson from the Toledo Zoo wrangles a large gravid (pregnant) Cuban boa prior to its examination. NS Guantánamo Bay Public Affairs Office


(vestigial legs) and body contact to stimulate the femaleand induce her to mate. The courtship process may takeas long as two or three weeks. As in many other snakespecies, mate selection is the prerogative of the female,and researchers have observed several instances of matefidelity over the years. Boa mating at NS Guantánamo Bayhas been observed in abandoned structures, grasslands, oreven burrows of the Cuban rock iguana (Cyclura nubila).

Cuban boas do not lay eggs. The young are born alive inSeptember and October; gestation takes between 150 and180 days and is dependent on the temperatures the

female is exposed to during her pregnancy. Normally thefemale will seek out a sunny spot in the grass or in a forestclearing in late afternoon or mid-morning to bask in thesun and elevate her body temperature.

Researchers at NS Guantánamo Bay have collected repro-ductive data from females with body masses from sevento 45 pounds and ranging from five to more than 12 feet


A gravid female Cuban boa emerges from a NS Guantánamo Bay grassland. Peter Tolson

Two large Cuban boas mate in an abandoned bunker.Peter Tolson

A bag containing 18 Cubanboa babies is prepared for release back into the wild.Peter Tolson


tors of the exotic rats and mice thatcan infest military and residentialareas. By devouring these rodentpests, the Cuban boa has becomeessential in maintaining the healthylandscapes needed to support long-term military testing, training, andnational security requirements on NSGuantánamo Bay. �

Chris PetersenNaval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic757-322-4560DSN: [email protected]

Peter TolsonThe Toledo [email protected]

Jered JacksonNaval Facilities Engineering CommandSoutheast904-542-6308DSN: [email protected]

in total length and have learned quitea bit already about Cuban boa repro-ductive strategies. Larger females notonly give birth to larger litters (up to20 babies) than smaller females, buttheir babies are also significantlylonger and heavier than those born tosmaller females. This means thatfemales become more reproductivelyvaluable as they grow older andlarger, and a 20-year-old female hasthe reproductive potential to producemore than 100 very large babiesduring her reproductive life. Thismany offspring is crucial becausefewer than one in ten of them willsurvive their first year, most dyingfrom starvation or predation by feralcats or birds of prey. Snakes in popu-lated areas of NS Guantánamo Bayalso face the threat of vehicle strikes.Fourteen percent of the 51 boasresearchers have tracked on theStation have been killed on the road.

The death of a large female in herreproductive prime, whether by feraldog attack or by a speeding car,creates a significant tear in the ecolog-ical fabric of the Station. The greatestsuch loss known on NS GuantánamoBay occurred when a 15-foot, 11-inchfemale was run over by a truck in1989. This enormous female wouldhave produced more than 30 babiesevery other year.

The Cuban boa is a tremendous allyin controlling the large population ofDesmarest’s hutias, a keystonespecies on the Station. Hutias arecritical to the overall ecology of theStation, but they can also become anuisance, impeding military readi-ness by chewing through vehiclewiring, fiber-optic cables, and waterlines. They also contribute to erosionand the subsequent sedimentation ofcoral reefs by devouring entire standsof trees. Young boas are also preda-

ABOVE: A single litter of Cuban boas born in October 2014. Note the associatedplacentas and yolk sacs.

LEFT: A Cuban boa neonate being weighed at the NS Guantánamo Bay veterinary clinic. Peter Tolson


Renewable Energy Veteran Shares His Perspectives on Current Energy Challenges & Opportunities

IN THE SPOTLIGHT for this issue of Currents is Mr. Joseph Bryan, thenewly-appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (DASN) for Energy.On Tuesday, February 10, 2015 Kenneth Hess, director of communicationand outreach for the Chief of Naval Operations Energy and EnvironmentalReadiness Division (CNO N45) and Bruce McCaffrey, managing editor ofCurrents magazine, sat down with Mr. Bryan in his Pentagon office to gethis perspectives on the energy challenges facing the Navy today. Alsojoining in on the discussion was LT Chika Onyekanne from the U.S. NavyChief of Information (CHINFO).

CURRENTS: For readers who may not be familiar with your background,please provide some insights into the positions you’ve held.

BRYAN: I started my career in New York working with the consumer, envi-ronmental, and business communities to create an environment that wasconducive to the adoption of energy effi-ciency and renewable energy. Weworked very hard to create a climatethat was open to emerging technologiesand the adoption of cost-effective appli-cations of those technologies.

Then, my wife and I moved to SouthAfrica, and I went to work for theUniversity of Cape Town’s Energy andDevelopment Research Center.

After a couple of years, I came back to Washington and spent most of thepast 15 years on Capitol Hill. The majority of that time was spent workingfor Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, who was chairman of the SenateArmed Services Committee (SASC) for many years until he retired in 2014.

We worked very hard to create a climate that wasopen to emerging technologies and the adoption of

cost-effective applications of those technologies.

spotlight on the New DASN Energy Joseph Bryan


When Senator Levin established a team within the SASCstaff to conduct independent investigations into issuesbefore the committee, I came over from the Senate Intelli-gence Committee, where I had been working for him, tolead the group. I spent seven years doing long-term inves-tigations into topics that were important to the chairmanand the committee.

CURRENTS: And how did that work prepare you for yourcurrent assignment?

BRYAN: The Committee chairman and its rankingmembers set our priorities. Senator Levin’s view was thatsome things required a deeper look—issues that may befundamentally different than the way they appeared onthe surface. He was focused on getting well-sourced,detailed answers to important questions facing theDepartment of Defense (DoD).

That is the same approach I plan to take in my new job. Iwant us to focus on issues that are important to theDepartment of the Navy, drill down to understand themand come up with solutions that are both consistent withthe mission and sustainable for the long term.

CURRENTS: Tell us a little about your tenure with theUniversity of Cape Town’s Energy and DevelopmentResearch Center. Why Cape Town?

BRYAN: My wife finished law school in New York, and wedecided to do something different. So we moved to SouthAfrica. We chose South Africa because it was the late1990s—an important period in the history of that country.The post-apartheid government had come into power in1994. Nelson Mandela was elected president, and it wasan exciting time to see a country that was transforming onmany levels.

I ended up landing a job with the University of Cape Townat a center that focused on energy policy in sub-SaharanAfrica. There weren’t too many academic institutions whichdid that work at the time. The center set up a project tosupport South Africa’s parliamentary portfolio committeeon minerals and energy. I worked closely with the

incoming chairman and tried to act as a bridge between thecommittee and the technical experts in the energy arena.

CURRENTS: Did you work with the Navy or other parts ofthe military in the past? If so, what was that like?

The Basics About Joseph M. Bryan

JOSEPH M. BRYAN was appointed as Deputy Assistant Secre-tary of the Navy for Energy in November 2014. Mr. Bryanserves as the Secretariat focal point on all matters pertainingto the Department of Navy’s energy initiatives.

Mr. Bryan joined the Department of the Navy from the UnitedStates Senate where he served in several professional staffroles. Most recently, Mr. Bryan was the Investigations TeamLead for the Committee on Armed Services. During histenure, the committee completed investigations into cyberintrusions affecting U.S. Transportation Command contractors,U.S. costs and allied contributions to support the U.S. militarypresence overseas, the presence of counterfeit electronicparts in the military supply chain, the use of private securitycontractors in Afghanistan, and the treatment of detainees inU.S. custody.

From 2005 to January 2007, Mr. Bryan served on the SelectCommittee on Intelligence, where he advised Senator CarlLevin on legal, policy, and programmatic issues affecting theU.S. intelligence community. He also represented SenatorLevin in legislative negotiations and investigations into pre-Iraq war intelligence.

From 2001 to April 2005, he was responsible for legislativeissues related to Senate Judiciary and Governmental AffairsCommittees, including judicial nominations, criminal justice,legal reform, and federal employees.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Bryan worked at the University ofCape Town’s Energy and Development Research Center, CapeTown, South Africa. In this position, he coordinated researchand briefings for Chairman of the South African ParliamentaryPortfolio Committee on Minerals and Energy on the develop-ment and regulation of domestic energy industries. He alsoadvised Namibian Ministry of Minerals and Energy on thedevelopment of a white paper to guide development ofnational energy policy.

Mr. Bryan received a bachelor’s of arts degree in 1991 fromFordham University and a master’s of arts from the Universityof Delaware in Urban Affairs and Public Policy, with a focuson energy and environmental policy.

My wife finished law school in New York,and we decided to do something different.



BRYAN: My experience with the DoD and the indi-vidual services largely comes from my work on SASC.Many of the issues we focused on impacted theacquisition process and getting hardware into thefield. We looked at some matters that affected DoDas a whole, but often I dealt directly with representa-tives of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

A good example is the committee’s investigation intothe presence of counterfeit electronic parts in theDoD supply chain. There is a massive overseas coun-terfeiting industry that sells to the U.S. defenseindustry. It’s a challenge for all of the services anddefense contractors to determine how best to distin-guish real parts from counterfeits.

We discovered that counterfeit parts were inmission computers for Terminal High Altitude AreaDefense (THAAD) missiles. We also found counter-feit parts that were used in the ice detectionsystems on some of our aircraft. These are thetypes of components that you really don’t want tofail. So if you take a long, careful look at theproblem—and with the committee’s resources andpersonnel, we could—you can get to the root causeof the problem.

Over the course of the investigation—looking only ata small sample of the industry—we were able toidentify more than a million counterfeit parts. Wetraced most of them back to China. What we atSASC were able to see, and what the DoD may havehad a harder time seeing on its own, were vulnera-bilities in the acquisition system that allowed coun-terfeit parts to be slipped into the supply chain.These vulnerabilities could be fixed, and some of thefixes were very simple.

At the end of that investigation, we were able tochange the law to help the DoD keep its supply chainsecure. Manufacturers and contractors are nowsubject to a higher level of scrutiny as they procureparts for the Department.

We were able to change the law to help the DoD keep its supply chain secure.

The SECNAV’s Energy Goals

ENERGY IS CRITICAL to the Department of the Navy’s (DoN) abilityto provide the global presence necessary to ensure stability, deterpotential adversaries, and present options in times of crisis—whereverand whenever they might arise. In 2009, Secretary of the Navy RayMabus issued five aggressive goals aimed at transforming the DoN’senergy use.

1. Increase Alternative Energy Use DoN-WideBy 2020, 50 percent of total energy consumption will come fromalternative sources. a. The DoN demonstrated certain alternative fuels to be effective

drop-in replacements for conventional fossil fuels and qualifiedthem to compete to supply fuel to the DoN through theDefense Logistics Agency Energy.

2. Increase Alternative Energy AshoreBy 2020, DON will produce at least 50 percent of shore-basedenergy requirements from alternative sources. a. The DoN’s Renewable Energy Program Office (REPO) is on

target to have 1 Gigawatt of renewable energy—enough topower about 250,000 homes or 14 Arleigh Burke-classDestroyers—under procurement by 2016, at a price at or belowbrown power

3. Sail the “Great Green Fleet”By 2012, DoN will demonstrate a Green Strike Group in local oper-ations and sail it by 2016.a. The DoN demonstrated alternative fuel blends on all ships

and aircraft that participated in the 2012 Rim of the Pacific(RIMPAC) exercise. Ship and air platforms operating on alterna-tive fuel blends performed at full capability during the exercise.Planning is underway to deploy the Great Green Fleet 2016.

4. Reduce Non-Tactical Petroleum UseDoN will reduce petroleum use in the commercial vehicle fleet by50 percent.a. The DoN has significantly grown its fleet of alternative fuel-

capable vehicles, is expanding its use of telematics to improvefleet performance, and is working to deploy zero-emissionsvehicles.

5. Energy Efficient AcquisitionEvaluation of energy factors will be mandatory when awardingcontracts for systems and buildings.a. DoN has issued policy guidance concerning the use of energy-

related factors in acquisition planning, technology development,and source selections for platforms and weapons systems.



CURRENTS: What kind of cooperation did you get fromthe services?

BRYAN: Our working relationship with the services wasgenerally quite good. It’s not always easy to be asked hardquestions. But the folks we worked with in the militaryand in the contracting community are loyal, patrioticAmericans who want to do good things for the country.Nobody wants to have counterfeit parts in their airplanes,ships, or radar systems.

That’s not to say the process of getting to a solution can’tbe difficult for those involved. When folks have beendoing things the same way for a long time, it can be hardto change. But at the end of the day, we found that peoplewant to know if they have a problem and how to fix it. Atleast then they can move forward with open eyes aboutthe challenges they face.

I built some great relationships with people in the Navyand the other services. We tapped into some top notchin-house expertise on some of our investigations. Wetook a subject matter expert from the Naval SurfaceWarfare Center in Crane, Indiana to Hong Kong with usas part of our investigation into counterfeit partsbecause he was one of the best assets in the U.S.government to address that problem. The services coop-erated with us. They wanted to get it right. I think we’reall focused on that.

CURRENTS: Other senior leaders have stated that whiletechnology is an important aspect of resolving ourenergy issues, it will take changes in individual behaviorand organizational “culture” to get where we need to go.Your thoughts?

BRYAN: We all have been doing things a certain way for along time in the energy space. Now, across the countryand around the world, opportunities are emerging on theenergy side which will enable us to do better. We have tobe open to asking a different question or taking adifferent approach than we have in the past.

Thankfully, we have tremendous leadership support acrossthe Navy, in Secretary Mabus who has set very aggressiveenergy goals, and Assistant Secretary of the Navy forEnergy, Installations & Environment (ASN (EI&E)) McGinnwho is focused on finding creative solutions to these prob-lems. I don’t think you can underestimate the value ofleadership that says, “Let’s look at this differently.”

That message of “let’s do this differently” has beencoming from DoN leadership for years, and now it isfinding its way into the conversations of the peopleexecuting important, mission-focused jobs for the Navy.

During my last visit to Norfolk, I met some Sailors from theUSS Porter (DDG 78) who are doing some amazing work.They are asking questions about how they can use energymore efficiently, so they can spend more time on themission and less time refueling. I talked with one of the USSPorter’s navigators, who is doing some innovative thinkingabout how her ship can better use fuel while underway.

The Basics About the USS Porter

THE USS PORTER is a guided missile destroyer and is part ofthe Atlantic Fleet homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. Named aftertwo American naval legends—Commodore David Porter andhis son, Admiral David Dixon Porter, DDG 78 is the fifth shipto bear the name Porter. Using the strategies and techniquesprovided by Naval Sea Systems Command’s Shipboard EnergyConservation guide, the Porter achieved the 10th highest levelof underburn in the Atlantic Fleet for the fourth quarter offiscal year 2014.

I don’t think you can underestimate the value of leadership that says,

“Let’s look at this differently.” USS Porter (DDG 78). MC1 Rafael Martie



She had looked at voyage planning from Norfolk to Florida,to find a way to accomplish the trip without refueling asoften—to spend more time on mission and less time tied toan oiler. On her own time, she looked at navigational chartsand weather reports, worked on some options with hercrew, and charted a course to take advantage of the GulfStream current to use less fuel. And it worked.

What’s most important in this story is that this youngofficer said “energy is important to us” and, on her owntime, did something to make her mission more successful,more energy efficient. She did what was best for themission. And her commanding officer said, “Do it,” toempower her along the way. That is a challenge for

leaders in all organizations—to be open to doing thingsdifferently and challengingtheir own assumptions.

Energy is an area wherethere’s a lot of room for inno-vation, a lot of room for newthinking. This doesn’t meanyou have to come up with anew technology—it can meanyou pull out your old papercharts to find a better way.

CURRENTS: In your ownwords, what is the mission ofthe Office of the DeputyAssistant Secretary of theNavy (Energy)?

BRYAN: We are a driver forenergy solutions, pushinginnovation and building part-nerships that advance theDoN’s goal of optimizingenergy use to enhancecombat capability and energysecurity. The world ischanging, and the DoN needs

to change with it so that we can continue to provide thepresence necessary to ensure stability, deter potentialadversaries, and provide options in times of crisis.

We will continue to face energy challenges both afloat andashore that we need to overcome in order to complete themission. The best course of action is for us to prepare forthose challenges—by planning and making smart invest-ments—so that we stay ahead of the changes in energythat are happening all around us.

CURRENTS: What are you thinking about in terms ofinfrastructure improvements?

BRYAN: Today, our shipyards and other shore installationsplay a greater role in accomplishing the mission than everbefore. We are working to increase the energy securityand resiliency of our installations and surroundingcommunities, by improving energy efficiency and diversi-fying our energy supplies. And, we’re leveraging privatesector financing to an unprecedented extent to accom-plish those goals.

Commanding Officer, CDR Blair H. Guy welcomes DASN Energy Joseph Bryan aboard the USS Porter (DDG 78) for a ship’s tour and a briefing on energy conservation initiatives that the ship is undertaking

to increase their combat capability and mission effectiveness. Captain Guy has empowered his crew to be innovative and think of process improvements that can conserve energy.

MC2 Jonathan Donnelly

We are working to increase the energy security and resiliency of our

installations and surrounding communities.



two lines of trucks. For one line, he installed a simplemeter that showed the Marines how much fuel they wereburning. The second line of trucks had no such gauge. Hedidn’t tell the Marines what to do. He simply gave theminformation that enabled them to make their own deci-sions. He found that the Marines who had the gauges real-ized a significant reduction in their fuel consumption.

What this proves to me is that, like the navigator inNorfolk, with the right information, Sailors and Marineswill make decisions to save energy while accomplishingtheir mission.

People join the Navy and Marine Corps because they wantto serve and want to do the right thing. If we can put ourfolks in a position to do what they know is right, with the

right information, then theywill make good decisions.

CURRENTS: What do youthink your major challengeswill be, and what are yourstrategies for meeting thosechallenges?

BRYAN: One challenge ischanging the way we thinkabout problems. Challengingthe assumptions we make.Opening ourselves up to goodideas that exist outside of ourown organization. That’stough for any organization,particularly when you aretalking about emerging tech-nologies in the energy space.The fact remains that theworld is changing, and thereare people out there who arefiguring it out. We need tolearn from them.

We’re using energy savings performance contracts (ESPC)and utility energy services contracts (UESC) to improve ourenergy infrastructure. In UESCs and ESPCs, private compa-nies buy and install efficient energy equipment on ourbases and assure the equipment performance. In returnfor their investment, the Navy pays the companies aportion of the energy savings that result from replacingold, inefficient equipment with the new,more efficient equipment. These agree-ments are a win-win for the Departmentand the private sector.

CURRENTS: How about on the MarineCorps side? What aspects of their energyefforts would you like to mention?

BRYAN: The Marines are doing incrediblework, particularly at forward operating bases (FOB). Theyknow that the logistics to support fuel requirements atFOBs creates risks for them.

Colonel Caley (director of the Marine Corps ExpeditionaryEnergy Office) tells a story about a line of trucks idling,before a particular exercise. He didn’t think this mademuch sense. So he ran a test at Twenty-nine Palms with

If we can put our folks in a position to do whatthey know is right, with the right information,

then they will make good decisions.

For More Details

FOR MORE DETAILS about one of the Navy’s successes with a UESC at the Naval UnderseaWarfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, Rhode Island, read our article “NUWC Newport Partnerswith National Grid to Tackle Energy Conservation: Annual Energy Savings of Plan Estimated at$1.5 Million” in the summer 2014 issue of Currents.



Energy is important, and it matters to the mission. I thinkthat’s part of the message that Sailors and Marines aregetting from their senior leaders, and it’s resonating withfolks. So we’re looking to solve the challenges we face bydoing things differently when it makes sense. We arestarting to see a culture where people are not only open tochange but are agents of change themselves.

CURRENTS: What do you believe to be the most signifi-cant economic, security and environmental benefits ofrenewable energy?

BRYAN: Renewable energy at our installations canenhance energy security and increasing resiliency.Renewable assets on our installations can—in addition toproducing clean, cost-competitive power—serve as ahedge against disruptions in the commercial grid. Weknow that the electrical grid is a target for cyberattacks,and we’ve seen how weather and natural events can

For More Insights

FOR MORE INSIGHTS into Colonel Caley’s perspective, readour article “Spotlight on the Marine Corps ExpeditionaryEnergy Office: Colonel James Caley Talks About GettingEnergy Innovations into the Hands of Marines” in the summer2014 issue of Currents.

Better, cleaner, cheaper—that’s apretty attractive option.

affect it. A photovoltaic array located on a Marine Corpsbase can help keep the base up and operating, evenshould the grid go down.

To that end, Secretary Mabus stood up the RenewableEnergy Program Office. Bob Griffin and his REPO teamare doing amazing work. We are entering into contractsfor the purchase of renewable energy at prices that are equal to or below brown power, and we’re on track to achieve our goal of 1 Gigawatt of renewable power by 2016.

Better, cleaner, cheaper—that’s a pretty attractive option.

CURRENTS: As you know, we have several initiativesunderway that focus on biofuels. What is your perspectiveon alternative fuels?

BRYAN: Using alternative fuels adds supply options,increasing freedom of action and reducing our vulnera-bility to those who would use energy as a weaponagainst us.

It’s about increasing operational flexibility, and makingsure that our platforms can use the fuel that’s available.We don’t know where our platforms will be operating infive or ten years, whether in combat, providing deterrenceor rescuing victims of natural disasters.

We don’t know where the next F-18 Super Hornet is goingto be deployed or whose fuel tank it’s going to be along-side. So, we need to make sure that aircraft can fly onwhatever fuel is available—whether it’s conventional petro-leum or an alternative fuel.

In 2012, we proved during the Rim of the Pacific Exercisethat our ships and aircraft could run on a blend of up to50/50 drop-in alternative fuels and conventional fossil fuel.Since then, we’ve certified all our platforms on two alter-native fuel pathways—called Highly Enriched FuelAssembly and Fischer-Tropsch.

Any alternative fuels that we use must be “drop-in.” Inother words, our engines and supply equipment can’t tellthe difference between the alternative fuel and conven-tional fossil fuel. There can be no need for any modifica-tions to systems.

Secretary Mabus has committed—and the law has beenchanged to require—that we will not purchase operationalquantities of drop-in alternative fuels unless they are costcompetitive with conventional fossil fuels.



Finally, being able to operate on alternative fuelsreduces our dependence on oil-producing coun-tries, some of which aren’t always friendly to us.The investments we make today will develop adomestic alternative fuels production capabilitythat is a national security imperative. It’s astrategic investment into building a long-termcapability.

CURRENTS: The Secretary of the Navy talksabout the fluctuation in international fuel pricesand the impact that has on our operations. Forexample, if the expected price of fuel increasesone dollar, it costs the Navy 30 million dollars which, bynecessity, needs to come out of our operational budgetone way or another. So if there is a domestic source ofalternative fuels, is there some sense that it can be usedto offset those costs in the future?

BRYAN: The fact is we can look at oil prices today, but it’sanybody’s guess where they’ll be in a year. Two yearsago, oil was 120 dollars a barrel. Today, it’s closer to 40dollars a barrel. You don’t want to make long-term deci-sions based on short-term prices, especially when itcomes to oil.

CURRENTS: Is your office working with industry or acad-emia, and if so how?

BRYAN: CAPT Jim Goudreau is our Director of Policy andPartnerships, and he is focused on building partnershipswith the private sector and academia. Secretary Mabusand ASN (EI&E) McGinn both encourage us to widen ouraperture to get outside perspectives. So we take the bestthat industry and academia have to offer and figure outhow we can make it work for the Navy.

We’re working with a number of universities—Columbia, Purdue, Arizona State, and others—and wehave partnerships with the private sector to developnew technologies and adopt new approaches that willaddress our energy challenges. We need to know what

they’re doing, how they’re doing it, and then adopt thetechnologies and practices that make sense for us. It’s agreat way to generate new ideas about how to approacha persistent challenge.

CURRENTS: Could you speak briefly about the wayforward for the Department of the Navy from an energystandpoint?

BRYAN: We are transforming the Department of theNavy’s energy use to make us better warfighters,deploying next-generation capabilities that boost combateffectiveness, maximize strategic options, and betterprotect our Sailors and Marines.

Efficient energy use is a force multiplier. It can help us gofarther on a tank of gas, stay longer without needingresupply or peeling back to refuel, and to deliver morepayload when we’re there. At the same time, diversifyingour energy sources—using conventional fuels, alternativefuels and renewable energy—can improve our energysecurity and resiliency ashore and give operationalcommanders and planners the flexibility they need tocomplete the mission. And that’s what it’s all about.

CURRENTS: Thank you for taking the time to speak withus today, sir.

BRYAN: Glad to do it. Thank you. �

We take the best that industry andacademia have to offer and figure out

how we can make it work for the Navy.

F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighter fueled with a50/50 blend of biofuel and conventional fuel.

Liz Goettee


WINNERS OF THE annual Chief of Naval Opera-tions (CNO) Environmental Awards program have beenannounced for fiscal year (FY) 2014. The awards recog-nize Navy ships, installations, and individuals for theirexceptional environmental stewardship.

The competition categories for the FY14 competitionincluded natural resources (large installation), culturalresources management (small installation and indi-vidual/team), environmental quality (industrial instal-lation and overseas installation), sustainability(non-industrial installation and individual/team), envi-ronmental restoration (installation), and afloat(includes various competitive sub-categories).

Nominations were judged by subject matter expertson accomplishments from October 1, 2012 throughSeptember 20, 2014. Chief of Naval OperationsAdmiral Jonathan Greenert recognized 27 awardwinners during a video teleconference ceremony heldJune 23, 2015 at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Accomplishments of the winners are highlightedbelow.

Natural ResourcesThis award recognizes efforts to promote the conser-vation of natural resources, including the identifica-tion, protection, and restoration of biologicalresources and habitats; the sound long-termmanagement and use of the land and its resources;and the promotion of a conservation ethic.

Large InstallationJoint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii

Serving as one of the world’s largest military installations,Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) encompasses over28,000 acres of land and nearly 70,000 marine miles in thesurrounding area of the Hawaiian island of O’ahu. JBPHHoversees an extensive natural resources program coveringvarious topographies and habitats from mountainousregions to oceans. Given their large area of responsibilityand wide span, JPBHH contains more endangered speciesthan any other Navy installation. The coconut rhinoceros


Chief of Naval Operations EnvironmentalAward Winners RecognizedAccomplishments Exemplify Navy’s Commitment to Environmental Stewardship

The coconut rhinoceros beetle, first discovered on JBPHH in December 2013, is a destructive invasive pest that is native

to Southeast Asia. The beetle has caused the loss of more than 50 percent of all coconut palm trees on the island of Guam.


beetle (native to Southeast Asia)began infesting the premises ofJBPHH in large numbers and feedingon palm trees from 2012 to 2014.Base personnel implemented aninvasive species management planthat was shared and adopted bynearby Army and Marine Corpsproperties to eradicate thebeetle. They installedapproximately 400 trapsaround the base andremoved infected palmtrees and mulch. Infectedgreen waste was inciner-ated through the use ofair curtain burners thatgenerated less smoke andash emissions. Thismethod resulted in apotential $500,000savings for the Navycompared to regularincineration techniques.

mangrove was also removed withinthe Pearl Harbor complex due tomangroves’ ability to choke shorelinesand mudflats, which can threatensurrounding wildlife. The LualualeiAnnex team also partnered with theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS) to assess the impact ofnearby airfield construction and oper-ations on native waterbirds.

Environmental QualityThese awards recognize efforts toensure mission accomplishment andprotection of human health in theareas of environmental planning,waste management, and environ-mental law and regulation compliance.

Industrial InstallationFleet Readiness Center Southwest,California

The Fleet Readiness Center South-west’s (FRCSW) mission is to carryout responsive maintenance, repair,and overhaul support to U.S. andallied warfighters. To support thismission, FRCSW conducts industrialprocesses, such as electroplating,chemical cleaning, stripping, painting,and jet engine testing. The lattergenerates hazardous waste and emis-

At the JBPHH Lualualei Annex, thenatural resources team took steps topreserve the critical habitat necessaryfor the survival of 22 threatened andendangered plant species. Thisincluded maintaining fenced bound-aries and invasive plant monitoringand management. A non-native

For More Insights

FOR MORE INSIGHTS into JBPHH’s efforts to eradicate the coconut rhinoceros beetle,read our article “JBPHH Joins the Team to Fight Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle: InvasiveInsect Poses Real Threat to Hawaii’s Palm Trees” in the winter 2015 issue of Currents.You can find an electronic copy of this article and browse the Currents archives at theDepartment of the Navy’s Energy, Environment and Climate Change web site athttp://greenfleet.dodlive.mil/currents-magazine.

Mangrove is considered beneficial in every part of the world except Hawaii, where it is not native. It can choke shorelines and mudflats, rending them unusable for native Hawaiian waterbirds and shorebirds. At left is the Kumumau Canal before mangrove removal, and at right is the canal after mangrove removal. This had the dual benefit of increasing drainage of water away from the airfield during heavy rains (thereby reducing standing water on the airfield which attracts birds) and providing habitat in the canal itself.

sions. The FRCSW environmental program office continu-ously monitors the production of hazardous waste andstrives to find opportunities to mitigate the environmentalimpacts caused by activities at FRCSW. The team atFRCSW has successfully implemented tactics to reduceenergy costs by nearly $447,000 per year, reduce wateruse by 1.2 million gallons and reduce compressed air useresulting in a savings of $1 million. FRCSW also encour-ages public outreach and education about their efforts atevents including the San Diego Earthworks’ Earth Fair andthe Coronado Flower Show.

Naval Base Kitsap, Washington

Formed in 2004, Naval Base Kitsap encompasses nearly11,200 acres (60 percent of which is forested), and due tothe nature of its mission, produces hazardous waste, waterdischarges, and air emissions. Despite those facts, NavalBase Kitsap has been able to maintain International Orga-nization for Standardization 14001 conformance as part ofthe Navy Region Northwest Environmental ManagementSystem (EMS). The installation is committed to replacingaging technologies with more state-of-the-art, fullycompliant systems, including the replacement of manyunderground storage tanks (UST) and a wastewater treat-ment system. In an effort to reduce energy consumption,new light emitting diode exterior lighting was installed,reducing energy consumption by 53 percent.

Due to the large size of the installation, several specieslisted as threatened or endangered under the Endan-gered Species Act (ESA) call Naval Base Kitsap home.

Each major construction project, such as the Pier 6fender pile replacement project (380 piles), has a moni-toring program in place in order to ensure ESA-listedspecies are protected and operations are within permitlimits. One such construction project was the replace-ment of a culvert on a Union River tributary, which wasidentified as a barrier to fish passage. After five months,the old culvert was replaced with a 20-foot diameternatural-bottom tunnel. This will allow such ESA-listedspecies as the steelhead trout and the coho salmon tomigrate upstream and spawn.


FRCSW participates in multiple community events including the San Diego Earthworks’ Earth Fair, the Coronado Flower Show

and Restoration Advisory Board meetings.

FRCSW’s energy/water team performs energy audits to determine where conservation measures can be implemented. This hangar (circa 1940s) is an example of a lighting retrofit project that resultedfrom those energy audits. The command has saved hundreds ofthousands of dollars a year on lighting retrofits alone.

A 6,000-gallon single-walled underground storage tank undergoing removal. This 30-year-old tank is one of eleven

slated for removal from Naval Base Kitsap.


Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, Florida

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) is one of eightFleet Readiness Centers that provides maintenance andrepair services for naval aircraft, engines, weapon systemsand components. Several accomplishments of the team atFRCSE include:

� An energy reduction of 81 Million British ThermalUnits (MBTU) per thousand square feet, which resultedin a 32 percent energy reduction from the 2003 base-line.

� A reduction in the hazardous waste stream by morethan 80 percent (approximately 900,000 pounds)since 2008, lowering the cost of operations by morethan $720,000 annually.

� Use of a waste compactor in July 2014 for productionwaste, resulting in estimated annual savings of approxi-mately $17,000.

� Reclamation of 13 EA-6B Prowler aircraft, whichresulted in the recovery of more than 900 aircraftparts, saving the Navy $94.4 million.

� The creation of the Environmental Pacesetter of theQuarter Award, which recognizes an employee whopersonifies environmental stewardship.

Overseas InstallationU.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka, Japan

The U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Yokosuka encompassesone 48-bed military treatment facility and seven branchclinics located on mainland Japan, Korea, and Diego Garciawith over 1,200 staff providing care to over 42,000 activeduty personnel and their families. The hospital’s hazardousand medical waste operations manager oversaw a fivepercent reduction in total infectious waste costs betweenFY13 and FY14. This was possible through a completeoverhaul of its medical waste management processes andthe implementation of a new pharmaceutical hazardouswaste disposal program. New staff training was imple-mented to teach personnel how to differentiate betweenpotentially infectious waste, non-infectious waste andregular trash. The sustainability of these USNH Yokosukaprograms can be attributed to three implementations:


FOR MORE INFORMATION about Naval Base Kitsap’s efforts toreplace a culvert on a Union river tributary, read our article“Naval Base Kitsap Replaces Fish-Blocking Culvert: After Decades,Wild Salmon Returning to Their Spawning Grounds” in the fall2014 issue of Currents.

FRCSE installed a paint solvent recycler for the aircraft paint facility to reclaim solvent used to clean paint lines. This reduced the amount of solvent material purchased by 7,126 pounds/year.

Victor Pitts

1. Appropriate dedication of resources toinstitutionalize new polices, processesand systems that have been developedby dedicated subject matter experts

2. Development of procedures based onbest practices and fundamentalrequirements approved by higherauthority or regulations

3. Fostering and growth of new ideas toimprove environmental stewardshipacross the entire command.

Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan

Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi mustensure they fully comply with environ-mental regulations from the JapanEnvironmental Governing Standards(JEGS). JEGS combine U.S. andJapanese environmental laws andagreements. Installation personnelsuccessfully implemented the first-in-Navy lifecycle Preliminary Environ-mental Assessment Review (PEAR)process dictating over 30,000 environ-mental requirements for more than 50construction and rehabilitation projectsin 2014. The compliance tracker toolserves as a complement to PEAR andeven received an Innovation Awardfrom Naval Facilities EngineeringCommand (NAVFAC) Far East. This toolis a real-time measurement of compli-ance of the 50 applicable and indi-vidual environmental requirements.

NAF Atsugi negotiated a solid wastecontract to provide cost incentives towaste service providers to separate

waste for recycling. Approximately5,400 tons of material were recycledin FY13 and FY14. A potable watersystem produced solely by NAS Atsugihas resulted in a savings of $5.8million. The installation uses theirown ground source supply andensures standards meet or exceedU.S. Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) regulations. The shutdown ofNavy Radio and Receiving FacilityTotsuka and Naval Support FacilityKamiseya resulted in a massive clean-up. This clean-up removed 1,000 tonsof solid waste and 1,500 of hazardouswaste. In FY14, NAF Atsugi reduced a15 year backlog of hazardous wastetotaling 141,884 pounds. Their offsiteQualified Recycling Program (QRP)recycled 2,000 pounds worth of mate-rial from several transformers deemedfree of polychlorinated biphenyls,thereby eliminating disposal fees.

U.S. Naval Support ActivityBahrain, Bahrain

The environmental team for NavalSupport Activity (NSA) Bahrainprovides oversight of the environment

program at Isa Air Base, the Ports ofJebel Ali and Fjairah in the UnitedArab Emirates (UAE), the waterfrontdevelopment (NSA II), the UAE CoastGuard Base, and several homeportedships. The environmental programsupports the mission and operationsof the installations and theCommander, Fifth Fleet by main-taining compliance with all applicableenvironmental laws and regulations,protecting human health and theenvironment, and implementingpollution prevention initiatives toreduce the production of hazardouswaste. During the last two years, NavyRegion Europe Africa Southwest Asiahas achieved approximately a 50percent reduction in the quantity andcost of hazardous waste disposal.Through the implementation of aQRP, 1,900 tons of trash werediverted from the disposal stream andrecycled for over $100,000 inproceeds, which are used to sustainthe QRP. The team, along with theenvironmental program itself, hasbeen recognized for its robust, versa-tile and aggressive outreach and


USNH Yokosuka supporting the U.S. ArmyVeterinary Clinic via a Memorandum of

Agreement requiring the collection of medicalwaste. Designated Army personnel transport

properly contained medical waste from theveterinary clinic to the USNH Yokosuka

collection site. Each permanently-sealed and disposal-ready white plastic containers

house only red-bagged medical waste, per prefecture-specific regulations.

Each year, NSA Bahrain conducts at least three oil spill exercises to ensure that Navy personnelare trained and to ensure that the Navy’s spill plan and that of the host nation are compatible.

This joint exercise in Fujairah involved deployment of the Navy’s and host nation assets. Jayakumar Nair


waste minimization programs by the UAE, the State ofQatar Armed Forces, and the National Crisis and Emer-gency Management Authority.

SustainabilityThese awards recognize efforts to prevent or eliminatepollution at the source, including practices that increaseefficiency and sustainability in the use of raw materials,energy, water, or other resources. Sustainable practicesensure that Department of Defense (DoD) protects valu-able resources that are critical to mission success.

Non-Industrial InstallationNaval Medical Center San Diego, California

Naval Medical Center San Diego’s (NMCSD) sustainablepractices ensure that the installation protects valuableresources that are critical to mission success. Throughsystematic training of NMCSD’s staff, they successfullyinstituted a comprehensive recycling and foodcomposting program through the City of San Diego.Composting was implemented to divert unnecessarywaste from being landfilled and to prevent or eliminatepollution at the source. On average, 177.5 tons of foodwaste and 590 tons of recycled materials per year arediverted, in addition to 36,000 gallons of cooking oil thatis transported and rendered, so it may eventually be usedfor biofuel. This effort was accomplished through thecollaboration of the NMCSD environmental staff, NAVFACSouthwest Sustainable Solid Waste program office,NAVFAC Southwest Recycling, and the NMCSD nutritionmanagement department staff. Additional accomplish-ments include the following:

� The composting program diverts approximately 15tons of food waste a month from the landfill.

� NMCSD diversion rate for the facility is approximately75 percent (excluding construction and demolitiondebris) which exceeds the 50 percent diversion ratestated in Executive Order 13514.

� Composting along with recycling has reduced theinstallation waste disposal costs by 25 percent.

� The City of San Diego uses composted materials asfertilizer.

Naval Base San Diego, California

Naval Base San Diego (NBSD) and the Space and NavalWarfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) conducted a

particle tracking experiment to analyze the use of fluores-cent magnetic particles to link sources to sediments atNavy sites. During this study, SPAWAR placed 35magnetic collectors in the area around NBSD Pier 8 andPaleta Creek and mapped a tracer plume at variousdistances ranging from 30 to 400 meters away. SPAWARthen released 750 kilograms of particle tracer from avessel as it moved between the dock and about 60meters out into the water. The magnets were recoveredand showed where the tracer sank and was deposited inthe bottom sediments. Sediment samples were then

NMCSD food waste being dumped at Miramar Greenery. This waste will be treated for 70 days and then used as a soil nutrient.

NBSD has partnered with the City of National City, the City of San Diego, the Main Street Association, the San Diego 8th District Council, the Barrio Logan Association and surroundingcommunities to conduct a volunteer cleanup of the bay and shore.NBSD continually contributes to the betterment of San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, and surrounding communities. Kristina Walton

collected and sent for laboratory analysis to compare toprevious collections. This study helped determine wherepotential releases may spread and identify where clean-up efforts should be concentrated.

In addition, NBSD installed two new filtration systems forstormwater runoff to divert and capture potential pollu-tants from entering the San Diego Bay. NBSD also oversawthe removal of over 45,000 pounds of debris from thesurrounding waterways over the last twelve months andorganizes a Base Pride Clean-Up event. The volunteers atthis year’s clean-up collected over 90 pounds of trashacross the installation.

Naval Support Activity Monterey, California

Through staff interaction, adoption of cutting edge tech-nology, forward-looking engineering, and solid leadership,NSA Monterey is setting the standard for sustainabilitywithin the Navy and the DoD. Located in Monterey, Cali-fornia, NSA Monterey is host to over 4,035 military,civilian and international personnel and 15 tenantcommands, each with unique and critical mission require-ments. The installation has built a committed EMS Execu-tive Steering Committee (ESC) that brings together seniorleadership from across the installation and tenantcommands as partners in environmental decision makingand communication. This group strives to exceed thesustainability principles set forth in Department of theNavy and other guidance. The EMS ESC was able toaccomplish the following:

� A 34 percent reduction in energy consumption

� A 41 percent increase in scrap metal diversion

� A 77 percent solid waste diversion rate

� A 40 percent decrease in potable water use (ascompared to the FY08 baseline)

Individual or TeamMr. Len Sinfield and Mr. Thomas Niday, Naval Base Coronado, California

Under the purview of Naval Base Coronado (NBC), theNaval Auxiliary Landing Field, San Clemente Island (SCI) islocated approximately 67 miles offshore. Potable water istransported via barge to SCI where it is chlorinated, stored,and then distributed. Due in part to long storage time, asis necessary for emergency and fire protection, the SCIpotable water system was out of compliance with EPA’sDisinfection Byproducts Rule for Total Trihalomethane(TTHM). NBC implemented several short- and mid-termcompliance measures, but these measures were unsustain-able in the long term. Alternatives identified were space,time, and cost prohibitive (ranging from $2 to $31 million).

After lengthy research, Mr. Len Sinfield and Mr. ThomasNiday (from NAVFAC Southwest) found an affordable andeffective solution through spray aeration. Although sprayaeration was considered experimental by the EPA, NBCwas able get approval to conduct a pilot scale test. Aftersuccess of the initial pilot test, regulators accepted NBC’s


In an attempt to reduce the amount of fossil fuel used on NSA Monterey, 14 electric carts have been acquired. During FY13–14

these carts were driven over 15,000 miles on the main base.

SCI is the cornerstone of the tactical training ranges supporting the Southern California Operations Area—the largest

concentration of naval forces in the world.


proposal to expand the spray aeration system to all thetank systems at SCI. Spray aeriation, combined withimplementation of several other efforts, has proven effec-tive as SCI is now in compliance with the EPA TTHMrequirements. At a material and installation cost of lessthan $80,000, this fairly low-cost solution to a largeproblem would not have occurred without the years oftechnical experience and dedication to the Navy showedby Mr. Sinfield and Mr. Niday.

Fleet Logistics Center San Diego, California (Fuels Department)

Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet LogisticsCenter (FLC) San Diego supports 86 home-ported ships,submarines, transient vessels and 11 over-the-horizonnaval bases and air stations in California and Nevada.During the replacing of their Bulk Fuel Facility (referred toas military construction (MILCON) project no. P-401), theFLC San Diego team was able to divert over 70 percent(nearly 40,000 tons) of the associated construction wastefrom landfills by onsite reuse. The remaining constructionwaste was processed by another recycling center off site.The team was awarded the Leadership in Environmentaland Engineering Design (LEED) Silver award for theproject, which represented the first “green” Navy fuelterminal. Energy consumption declined by 33.2 percent.

The project consolidated the fuelterminal’s expanse by over half from200 to 75 acres. This lessened theimpact on surrounding coastal habitatand wildlife including native canarypalm trees.

Tainted soil was decontaminated onsite and used as backfill to seal offold USTs. This resulted in a $10million cost avoidance by elimi-nating the need to import new soil.The project also replaced a 100-yearold operational pier with an innova-tive new design that meets opera-tional readiness requirements andenvironmental regulations. Theupdated pier’s construction includessafeguards for marine life duringconstruction, and structural modifi-cations per California’s seismic regu-lations, as well as sea level risepredictions. Over 1.8 million gallons

of speculation fuel were sold as a result of fuel oil recla-mation efforts, eliminating an estimated $50 million inwaste disposal fees.

The old Bulk Fuel Facility’s footprint. Despite the challenges of multipleMILCON projects requiring extensive demolition and construction, unit cohesiveness was achieved with regular partnering sessionsbetween all stakeholders, allowing NAVSUP FLC San Diego to meet operational and mission demands for all of its customers.


FOR MORE INFORMATION about the use of spray aeration technology to reduce concen-trations of trihalomethanes in the SCI drinking water system, read our article “Spray Aera-tion Improves San Clemente Island Drinking Water: Inexpensive, Simple TechnologyReduces Trihalomethane Concentrations “ in the winter 2015 issue of Currents.

Navy Region Southwest, California (Sustainable SolidWaste Program)

Navy Region Southwest (NRSW)contains ten installations across sixstates (primarily California) consistingof 5,750 square kilometers of landwith nearly 10,000 personnelsupporting approximately 480 tenantcommands. Activities of the Environ-mental Sustainability (ES) program atNRSW have included LEED buildingconstruction, electrical energy andwater conservation, and renewableenergy generation among others. Inparticular, the ES program hassuccessfully encouraged the transi-tion from a standard integrated solidwaste management program to asustainable solid resource andmanagement program. The newsustainable solid waste (SSW)program has a wide range ofprograms including:

� Military industrial waste

� Disaster debris management

� Office property reuse

� Food waste composting program

NRSW is recognized as a leaderwithin DoD for the management ofsolid waste. Its SSW program hasbeen honored as the 2014 Recycler ofthe Year by the City of San Diego (forthe ninth year in a row) and the Cali-fornia Governor’s Environmental andEconomic Leadership Award in theWaste Reduction Category for 2013(the state’s most significant environ-mental award).

Environmental Restoration This award recognizes efforts toprotect human health and the envi-ronment by cleaning up identifiedsites in a timely, cost-efficient, andresponsive manner. Restoring thesesites impacted by historic defensepractices protects military personneland the public from potential environ-mental health and safety hazards.


File cabinets and many other types of metal furniture are cut and processed for sale in the metalscommodities markets breathing new life into NRSW wastes. Although furniture reuse is practicedextensively, some metal furniture and other components are beyond recovery and are processed

as metal scrap. The SSW team developed processes and standards for metal recovery.

Installation of the waste isolation barrier at NAS Alameda Site 1 used a crane-mounted vibrating hammer to drive a series of interlocking sheet piles into the soil surrounding

burn area waste. This technology creates “isolation cells” that will contain waste and prevent it from entering the San Francisco Bay during seismic activity.

� Integrated solid waste manage-ment (combined refuse and recycling)

� Construction and demolitiondebris management


InstallationFormer Naval Air StationAlameda, California

Naval Air Station (NAS) Alameda wasidentified for closure under the baserealignment and closure (BRAC)program in 1993 and fully ceasedoperation in April 1997. In 1999, NASAlameda was added to the EPA’sNational Priorities List. The environ-mental program at NAS Alamedaachieved several significant environ-mental remediation successes. Aportion of the site was incorporatedinto the East Bay Trail System, whichallows for public access to nearbywetlands. Also, in an effort to protectthe endangered California Least Tern,a wildlife refuge was created to bemanaged by the USFWS and main-tained by the Department of VeteranAffairs (VA). NAS Alameda was alsoable to transfer 624 acres of theinstallation to the VA in 2014. The VAwill develop on this land a muchneeded clinic and national cemetery

disposal of ash and dredged mate-rial. The NAVSUBASE New Londonenvironmental restoration teamoversaw the removal of approxi-mately 375 cubic yards of contami-nated sediment from Pier 1, thedisposal of at least 2,000 tons oflead-contaminated soils, and awetland restoration project. Theproject involved the removal of 3,000tons of non-hazardous contaminatedsediment as well as the constructionof eight topographical reliefs tosupport approximately 36,400square feet of native trees and shrubwoody areas. Remedial actions areexpected to be completed in 2015.

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Maine

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY)serves as a nuclear-powered subma-rine maintenance installation. Expe-diting cleanup actions under thePNSY environmental restorationprogram promotes environmentalstewardship at the shipyard whilesupporting the military mission.

Specific accomplishmentsincluded completing threeRecords of Decision inFY13 while acceleratingreview schedules by fourmonths, as well asproviding remedial strate-gies that meet the missionrequirements, sustainabilitygoals, and human healthand environment protec-tiveness objectives.

PNSY completed a NoFurther Action DecisionDocument in FY14 for aformer galvanizing planttank vault site. The installa-tion also dredged approxi-mately 7,500 tons ofcontaminated sediment atfour off-shore monitoring

to honor our veterans. Finally, anadditional 1,704 acres were trans-ferred to the City of Alameda in whatwas the achievement of a landmarkprogrammatic goal for the BRACprogram management office mission.

Naval Submarine Base NewLondon, Connecticut

Naval Submarine Base (NAVSUBASE)New London’s mission is to providethe facilities and the services forcombat-ready submarines andtraining professional submariners.The installation consists of 687 acres,with over 70 tenant commands andactivities. Approximately, 6,500active duty Sailors and approxi-mately 2,000 civilians are employedhere and 12,000 family memberscall NAVSUBASE New London home.Historic activities that may have hada detrimental effect on the base’senvironmental conditions includewaste disposal practices, batterymaintenance and overhaul, petro-leum product leaks from USTs, and

Soil remediation on board NAVSUBASE New London. Contaminated soil mixed with Portland cement is loaded into trucks to be disposed of at an approved landfill. The linear and confined physical limitations of the lower base required extensive planning, staging, and site management to keep access to the piers open during excavation, loading, and backfilling.

stations to coincide with approved in-water work windows for threatenedand endangered fish species protec-tion. The program enhanced theremedial action for the excavation ofapproximately 18,200 tons of contam-inated soil by implementing an innov-ative stabilization method torender soil as non-hazardouswaste. All sustainability goalswere met through the reduc-tion of disposal costs, trans-portation distance, andassociated air emissions andsafety risks.

Cultural ResourcesManagementThese awards recognizeefforts to promote culturalresources stewardship byhighlighting outstandingexamples of cultural resources

management. Awards are designed toshowcase extensive cultural resourcesincluding archaeological sites, thehistoric built environment, and culturallandscapes. Desired initiatives includepartnering with external stakeholderssuch as Native Americans, state

historic preservation officers, and localcommunities, as well as those workingwith internal stakeholders, such asmaster planning, public works, andrange management. Through culturalresources management programs,Navy and DoD identify areas likely tocontain historical assets and work toprotect these resources for futuregenerations in partnership with NativeAmerican tribes and historic preserva-tion authorities.

Small InstallationNaval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan

NAF Atsugi supports up to fivedifferent aircraft types from CarrierAir Wing FIVE—the Navy’s onlyforward-deployed carrier wing. NAFAtsugi lies in a highly urbanized areain Japan within 25 miles from the footof Mount Fuji and within 20 miles ofTokyo. During the award period, NAFAtsugi’s environmental division teamcreated the first EMS in the Far Eastthat incorporated lifecycle environ-mental impacts on the environment.These improvements to the EMSensured that all cultural resourceswere identified and protected prior tothe start of work or completion of anycontract documents.


Early phases of the former galvanizing plant removal action involved the removal of the existing building concrete slab floor via a jack hammer-equipped skid steer. A rubber-tracked

excavator was utilized in the excavation of the 450 tons of non-hazardous fill contained within the vault. The removal action resulted in a No Further Action Decision which allowed

for adaptive reuse of the historic building for a new Deep Submergence Testing Facility.

Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron FIVE-ONE (HSM-51) conducts an exercise around Mount Fuji. HSM-51 is one of 40 tenant commands at NAF Atsugi supporting

the Navy’s mission in the Seventh Fleet area of responsibility. MC1 Barry Riley


The team also developed a compliance tracker tool toassess and document compliance status with all culturalresources requirements—requirements with which NAFAtsugi has remained in full compliance. In addition, theteam initiated external stakeholder partnering meetingswith experts from the Kanagawa Prefecture and adjacentcities’ boards of education and historical/cultural resources.These meetings resulted in an informal working agree-ment that detailed how consultation and coordination withthe host nation regulatory agency will be conducted.

Pacific Missile Range Facility, Hawaii

Capable of supporting surface, subsurface, air and spaceoperations simultaneously, the Pacific Missile RangeFacility (PMRF) is the world’s top multi-dimensional inte-grated training and test range. It also encompasses someof the most sacred cultural sites on the island of Kauai.PMRF has supported successful outreach projects to thesurrounding communities and streamlined the culturalresources consultation and National Historic PreservationAct’s (NHPA) section 106 review process. The team’s majoraccomplishments include:

� Design and installation of education signagethroughout the base with the goal of highlighting theNavy’s commitment to cultural resource stewardshipand public education.

� Recovery of a Japanese navigational buoy, which hadtraveled across the ocean following the 2011 tsunamidisaster.

� A NHPA survey of over 300 acres of the southernportion of the installation.

� Physical site protection measures implemented onsand dunes to slow the erosion of cultural depositsthrough the use of geo-webbing technology.

� Continued outreach programs to civic clubs, schoolgroups and native Hawaiian organizations for culturalexperiences, which also allows the staff at PMRF toensure the installation is aligned with the community.

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Maine

Established in 1800, PNSY is the oldest continuously oper-ating naval shipyard in the nation; its historic district islisted on the National Register of Historic Places. DuringFY13 and FY14, over 200 consultation packages facilitatingNHPA section 106 compliant work supported over$127,600,000 of projects on historic facilities. Nine studieswere successfully executed (totaling $1.3 million) duringthe award period. One of the installation’s projects involvedthe search for a suitable replacement option for corrugatedwire glass windows. These windows are no longer manu-factured, but remain a character-defining feature of manyof the older buildings’ historic character. An aluminumpolycarbonate curtain wall system has been selected as thebest alternative that replicates the previous windows’familiar pattern, and are also more energy efficient. Due tothe age of the infrastructure on the installation, the islandsetting, and the dynamic mission, PNSY will continue topresent unique cultural resources management challenges.

Individual or TeamMrs. Heather Robbins, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic,Norfolk, Virginia

The current Navy’s Regional Historic Preserva-tion Officer for the Hampton Roads region isalso the Cultural Resources Team Lead atNAVFAC Mid-Atlantic, and the installation levelCultural Resources Manager at six Navy instal-lations. Mrs. Robbins provides culturalresources management support as well ascontract management to the Navy installationsin the Navy Region Mid Atlantic’s area ofresponsibility from Maine to North Carolina.She has provided leadership on how to mini-mize or avoid adverse effects to historic prop-erties and on identification procedures ofcultural resources requirements such as

The interior of PNSY’s Building 76 is an excellent example of the historic industrialcharacter exemplified at the shipyard. Originally constructed in 1902 as a forge,Building 76 still operates in that capacity today. The massive forge hammers arecharacter-defining features and will be retained when the building is renovated. Kerry Vautrot

archaeological or architectural inves-tigations in support of constructionprojects. A brief overview of Mrs.Robbins’ accomplishments include:

� The successful execution of 18cultural resources contracts inFY14 with 100 percent executionof funds received.

� The management of 32 contractactions in FY13 and FY14 thatdelivered products such as archae-ological surveys, viewshedanalyses, public education exhibitsand brochures.

� The foundation of strong consulta-tion relationships with three feder-ally-recognized tribes inOklahoma, Kansas and Wisconsin.

� The development and issuance oftraining at Hampton Roads instal-lations that served to increaseawareness of cultural resources,

promote cultural resources stew-ardship, and also give individualsa day-to-day understanding ofcultural resources compliance.

Mr. Jeffrey Pantaleo, Joint BasePearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii

Managing a diverse range of culturalresources (including some nativeHawaiian sites that date back to1200 A.D.), Mr. Pantaleo is theCultural Resources Program Managerfor both Navy Region Hawaii andJBPHH. Mr. Pantaleo has focused hisefforts on developing outreach andeducation programs, which hasresulted in a balanced approach thatboth supports mission objects andcontinued cultural resources steward-ship. He has successfully obtainedover $250,000 in project ordersthrough the execution of sevencontracts. One of his most significantroles is that of the Navy’s main pointof contact for Native Hawaiian Orga-nizations (NHO). He has taught DoDpersonnel in Hawaii how to engagein meaningful consultation withNHOs. Working directly with theNHOs, Mr. Pantaleo consults andhelps organize the annual Makahiki

festival, which honors the Hawaiiandeity Lono. This festival provided anopportunity for military families toappreciate and learn more about thehistory and culture of Hawaii. At theformer Hickam Air Force Base atHalealoha Haleamau Burial Platform,Mr. Pantaleo managed the NationalPublic Lands Day activities and wasalso able to organize the permanentre-burial of six native Hawaiianremains through careful consultationwith the NHOs.

Mr. Michael Smolek, NAS Patuxent River, Maryland

The cultural resources managementprogram at NAS Patuxent River, Mary-land has been built on a solid founda-tion that includes comprehensiveresource inventories, partnershipdevelopment, stakeholder involve-ment, community outreach, andstrong scientific research. This strongfoundation can be generally accred-ited to Mr. Smolek. He is the regionalarchaeologist for Naval District Wash-ington and the cultural resourcesmanager at NAS Patuxent River. ThePatuxent River Complex has 19 prop-erties totaling 15,000 acres spread


Heather Robbins is responsible for culturalresources compliance through review ofdesigns for proposed rehabilitations of historicbuildings. Building G29 (the PennsylvaniaHouse) is one such building. The building wasconstructed as part of the 1907 JamestownExposition held in Norfolk, Virginia and is asmaller scale replica of Independence Hall.

Lono arrives by canoe at Hickam Beach during the Makahiki. The Makahiki is an ancientannual festival dedicated to Lono, the deified guardian of agriculture, rain, health, and

peace. For more than 2,000 years, early Hawaiian people celebrated their beliefs associated with Lono during Makahiki festivals throughout the Hawaiian Islands.

over five Maryland counties, and hosts the Naval AirWarfare Center’s Aircraft Division. Through his personalknowledge of aviation, Mr. Smolek is able to keep amission-first focus on all historic preservation complianceand stewardship actions.

Each year, Mr. Smolek assesses and manages severalhundred facilities and test projects, as he is the installa-tion’s only cultural resources professional. He has aggres-sively pursued the collection, cataloguing, and storage ofhistoric records and documents, which has helped histo-rians gain better access to items of culturalresource significance. Mr. Smolek also recognizesthe importance of scientific research that maybenefit cultural resource management. Forexample, he currently supports a projectinvolving the search for buried paleosol soils thatmay hold evidence of human occupation in thearea during the Pleistocene Epoch.

Environmental PlanningThis award recognizes outstanding environmentalplanning efforts that benefit the Navy, the envi-ronment, and the public at large.

TeamHawaii-Southern California Training and TestingEnvironmental Impact Statement Team, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

The Hawaii-Southern California Training and Testing (HSTT)Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Overseas Environ-mental Impact Statement (OEIS) team is composed ofNavy and contractor personnel with backgrounds in Navyfleet operations, environmental planning, marine biology,and environmental law, among many other disciplines. Theprimary goal of the team was to initiate the National Envi-ronmental Policy Act (NEPA) process through meeting allregulatory requirements and obtaining all relevant regula-tory permits and authorizations to ensure that naval forcesare able to continue conducting critical training and testingin Southern California, Hawaii, and the transit corridor inbetween. The sheer geographic scope (over 2.1 millionsquare miles) of this EIS/OEIS was quite unusual anddemanded effective coordination with local, state (Hawaiiand California) and federal agencies.

The team was able to make use of a new Navy acousticmodel along with a new stressor-based approach whichallowed for the analysis of a more accurate simulation of


For More Insights

FOR MORE INSIGHTS into the Navy’s significant commitment tounderstanding the behavior and abundance of marine mammalswithin and in near proximity to its at-sea training and testing activi-ties, read our cover story, “Pacific Fleet Supports Range CapabilityThrough Marine Species Monitoring: Passive Acoustic Monitoring& Tagging on Hawaii Range Complex Helps Safeguard Training &Advances Science,” in the winter 2014 issue of Currents.

Researchers from the Cascadia Research Collective approach a short-finned pilot whale in an effort to place a satellite tag on it

as part of U.S. Pacific Fleet’s marine mammal monitoring program. The range’s passive acoustic monitoring system enables scientists

to locate marine mammals and estimate their exposure to sonar, while satellite tags and photographs provide

movement, habitat use and population information.

marine mammal behavior. The team refined the Navy’sapproach on further minimizing the potential effects ofsonar and explosives on marine mammals and seaturtles. Along with face-to-face public meetings and strongmedia outreach, a comprehensive website was also devel-oped by the HSTT EIS/OEIS team through coordinationwith the Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing team and the

Chief of Naval Operations Energy and EnvironmentalReadiness Division—giving the public access tosupporting documents and an opportunity to commentduring the NEPA process.

U.S. Navy F-35C West Coast Home Basing Environ-mental Planning Team, Norfolk, Virginia

With the FA-18 Hornet aircraft nearing the end of itsservice life, Congress has approved the replacement of theaircraft with the F-35C aircraft. The environmental plan-ning team of the U.S. Navy F-35C West Coast HomeBasing, led by the U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF), wasbrought together to study the impacts of bringing the newaircraft into service and the potential environmentalimpacts of facilities to support home basing 100 F-35Caircraft in the Pacific Fleet. Coordination among Navystakeholder commands was necessary to identify opera-tional requirements, shore infrastructure necessities, andpotential environmental impacts in numerous resourceareas. Due to congressional and local public interest in thistransition, the team conducted media training and devel-oped a public outreach/engagement strategy to ensureconsistent responses to inquiries from the public, themedia, and elected officials. The team achieved all of its

objectives to date and prepared aNEPA document which met all opera-tional timelines. The arrival of the F-35C is expected in 2017.

Supplemental EnvironmentalImpact Statement for the Introduction of P-8A Aircraft into U.S. Navy, Norfolk, Virginia

The new P-8A aircraft was approvedby Congress as the replacement forthe Navy’s aging P-3 maritime patroland surveillance aircraft. Since therelease of the 2008 final EIS for thistransition, the Navy has determinedthat two home basing locations,rather than three, for the P-8Asquadrons would still meet currentstrategic operational objectives, butalso provide potential cost savings.The purpose of this Supplement EIS(SEIS) was to enhance the basingalternatives and analysis in the orig-inal 2008 EIS with additional infor-mation based on current conditions.

Coordination between USFF and additional Navy stake-holder commands was needed to successfully completeall requirements of the SEIS through the identification ofall operational requirements and shore infrastructureneeds, the analysis of all potential environmentalimpacts in 11 resource areas, and continuous outreach to


The final Environmental Impact Statement for the U.S. Navy F-35C West Coast Homebasing. The scope of Final EIS required expertise in a wide range of subject matters, including airfield operations, noise analysis, environmental planning and compliance, natural resources, and program management.Lt. j.g. Johnny Michael

Lt. Brett Eckert, assigned to the Pro’s Nest of Patrol Squadron (VP) 30,observes Royal Air Force squadron leaders Andy Bull and Mark Fauldsas they participate in a flight simulator exercise for the P-8A Poseidon.

David Giorda


the Navy leadership and to themedia. The P-8A SEIS Environ-mental Planning Team was ableto meet the aggressive 17-monthschedule with the final federalregister publication of their NEPAdocument in June 2014. Therevised basing strategy resultingfrom the SEIS will save an esti-mated $100 million in one-timeinfrastructure and training simu-lator costs. Aircraft delivery isexpected to begin in FY16 atNAS Whidbey Island.

AfloatThe Afloat awards recognizeoutstanding contributions tofleet readiness, increasedmorale, and efficient, econom-ical use of resources to promoteenvironmental protection at sea.

Littoral or Amphibious WarfareLCS Crew 102

Stationed in San Diego, California, LCS Crew 102 isassigned to both USS Freedom (LCS 1) and USS FortWorth (LCS 3). Each crew of 54 officers and Sailors isproud to execute mission tasking to meet warfaredemands while maintaining a culture of environmentalresponsibility and sustainability. LCS Crew 102 had zeroincidences of spill or inadvertent discharge of hazardoussubstances to the environment, inclusive of four refu-eling-at-sea evolutions, in-port defueling, andonload/offload of hazardous materials. Engineers oper-ating the oil-water separator (OWS) system demonstrateda comprehensive technical understanding of the systemand reduced generation of oily waste and corrected casu-alties. Through efficient engine use practices, LCS Crew102 maintained station for 12 days of underway opera-tions in April 2014 on a platform that averages refuelingonce every three to four days. Underway operationsconducted during whale migration season and otherperiods resulted in zero occurrences of negative marinemammal interactions. LCS Crew 102’s commitment toenvironmental excellence also is evident in communityservice projects where they have adopted and conductedcleanups of the Tidelands Park in Coronado, California.

Sailors assigned to Surface Warfare Detachment Four of the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth Crew 102, prepare to board a naval training vessel as part of maritime interception operation training. Katarzyna Kobiljak

Surface Combatant CategoryUSS Dewey (DDG 105)

An Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USSDewey is homeported in San Diego, California. Its crew of300 officers and enlisted Sailors conducts sustained at-seacombat operations as part of Destroyer Squadron Oneand Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group (CSG 1). In August2014, the USS Dewey began a 10-month deployment thattransitioned through both the 5th and 7th Fleet areas ofresponsibility. By modifying standard operating proce-dures to meet new challenges, and training watchstanderson local laws and regulations, USS Dewey had zero spillswhile offloading oily waste from holding tanks in port. InFY14, Dewey onloaded three million gallons of diesel fuelwith zero spills or mishaps. As a credit to aggressivemanagement of fuel and outstanding maintenance prac-tices, USS Dewey reduced its fuel consumption by105,000 gallons compared to the DDG class average,which saved over 2.3 million pounds of carbon dioxidefrom being released into the atmosphere. During threeCSG 1 anti-submarine warfare exercises, USS Deweycompleted reporting for over 180 hours of active sonartime via the web-based Sonar Positional ReportingSystem, which allowed the Naval Mine and Anti-Subma-rine Warfare Command to produce a thorough report on

how marine mammal encountersaffect ships in a tactical environment.

Large Deck Combatant CategoryUSS Essex (LHD 2)

With 1,075 shipboard personnel, USSEssex started the year with thecompletion of a major maintenanceoverhaul in its homeport of SanDiego, California, without any envi-ronmentally adverse incidents. USSEssex received a “green” grade withmany assessments being above stan-dards for the type commander(TYCOM) material inspection. Once inservice, the ship transferred fourmillion gallons of fuel during sevenreplenishments, and metered andtransferred 500,000 gallons of sewageto barges or trucks during SeattleSeafair, all without incident. Throughoperations under the Hazardous Mate-rial Minimization Center, the crewsaved approximately $1.6 millionthrough the reuse of excess hazardousmaterials and reducing the overallvolume of hazardous materials


The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex transits the Pacific Ocean. Huey Younger, Jr.

Sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey heave a line during a replenishment-at-sea with the Military Sealift Command fleet

replenishment oiler USNS Joshua Humphreys (T-AO 188). James Vazquez


ordered. Essex also efficiently processed2.3 million pounds of solid waste duringunderway days in 2012-2014, and waseven able to reduce the amount ofspace needed to store plastic waste by30 to 1 through the use of shreddersand four plastic waste processor units.Finally, the crew’s own strong culture ofenvironmental stewardship is demon-strated by the development of a uniquein-port recycling program that resultedin a potential cost savings of $50,000,as well as their regular management ofthe San Diego Main Street cleanupeffort for NBSD.

Submarine CategoryUSS Tennessee (SSBN 734)

Homeported in Kings Bay, Georgia, theUSS Tennessee has recently returnedto service after a three year engi-neering refueling overhaul conductedin Portsmouth, Virginia. With a crew of160 personnel, USS Tennesseeconducted six strategic deterrentpatrols and several subsequent upkeepperiods. The ship was assessed as“Above Standards” during the supplymanagement inspection by theTYCOM also received an “Above Stan-dards” in hazardous materials manage-ment. Tennessee also received an“Above Standards” rating in May 2014during the most recent Naval SafetyCenter survey. The crew has received over 1,500 manhours of environmental awareness training, which hasresulted in individuals who strive daily to support soundenvironmental stewardship practices. These ideals havebrought about a systematic plastics waste program and a“first in / first out” program, where all expiring materialare utilized first. This reduces the volume of unneces-sarily off-loaded materials at port. Finally the crew ofUSS Tennessee was proud to note the lack of reportablepollutant spills or violations of the Protective MeasuresAssessment Protocols.

All winners were recognized in a video teleconferenceceremony by the CNO Admiral Jonathan Greenert for theirefforts. Vice Admiral Philip H. Cullom, deputy chief of

naval operations for fleet readiness and logistics and RearAdmiral Kevin R. Slates, director, chief of naval operationsenergy and environmental readiness division attended tocongratulate the honorees as well. �

Ashley TolbertChief of Naval Operations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division703-695-5116DSN: [email protected]

Madeline JoyceChief of Naval Operations Energy and Environmental Readiness Division703-695-5073DSN: [email protected]

The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Tennessee departs NAVSUBASE Kings Bay. Ashley Hedrick

PERSONNEL FROM THE NavalSurface Warfare Center, CarderockDivision (NSWCCD) are validating theuse of an environmentally friendlynon-stick coating in conjunction within-water cleaning to reduce thebiofouling of oil containment booms.

An oil containment boom is a floatingphysical barrier used around ships

and waterfront facilities toproactively contain oiland fuel spills. Perma-nently deployed oilbooms are used exten-sively by the U.S. Navyaround the world—infact, the U.S. Navy is theworld’s largest user ofpermanent oil boom.

To maintain their effective-ness, booms must be peri-odically cleaned of marinebiofouling such as barna-cles and sea grass. Thiscleaning must beperformed to ensure the

boom is not weighed down by thefouling, which would reduce the boom’seffectiveness as an oil spill containmentbarrier. Typically, the boom must beremoved from the water and cleanedwith a pressure washer.

To reduce manpower labor and time,NSWCCD personnel, with resourcesprovided by the Navy Environmental

Sustainability Development to Integra-tion (NESDI) program under projectnumber 489, are investigating the useof a prototype oil containment boommanufactured with a commerciallydeveloped, non-toxic, biofoulingrelease material. The material used inthis oil boom prototype has been welldemonstrated in civilian applications.


Carderock Testing New Oil Boom FoulingRelease MaterialNew Material Reduces Biofouling, Simplifies Cleaning

The U.S. Navy is the world’s largest user of permanent oil boom.

Boom segments as deployed prior to cleaning at Port Canaveral.Shown are Hank Loeb of Severn Marine Technologies (left)

and Kody Lieberman, Florida Institute of Technology. Abe Stephens


It has been shown to retard early stage accumulation ofmarine biofouling on netting for fish pens and securitybarriers, on the transducer faces of oceanographic instru-ments, and on acoustic streamers (towed arrays used forseismic surveys). This foul-release material has been simi-larly used to reduce marine biofouling and associated dragon autonomous ocean crossing gliders, a relatively newclass of autonomous underwater vehicles.

On this NESDI-sponsored effort, oil boom prototypebarrier segments were constructed by impregnating poly-ester fabric with a novel silicone foul-release polymer. Thisresulted in a highly resilient, durable material with a non-stick surface. The material’s durability and flexibilitymakes it difficult for marine growth and barnacles to settleon and remain attached to the boom. In the long term,these material properties create a boom that can easily becleaned by mechanical methods to a like-new condition.This cannot be achieved with currently-used stock boom,short of expending additional labor and harsh chemicals.

Because this foul-release oil boom prototype does not relyon biocides, it is nontoxic throughout its effective life cycleand disposal. At the end of its useful life, it can be buriedor burned. With its ability to be cleaned so thoroughly thatlittle if any bio-matter remains, it can also be safely recy-cled as filler material for other products.

NSWCCD personnel chose three sites for the demonstra-tion and validation of the prototype boom:

1. Naval Magazine Indian Island on Puget Sound Washington

2. Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, California

3. Florida Institute of Technology/Center for CorrosionBiofouling Control (FIT/CCBC) in Port Canaveral, Florida

Beginning in April 2014, all three sites deployed oil boomprototype and stock test segments 10 to 12 feet in lengthalong with smaller swatches of boom material samples.

Initial observations of deployed boom test segments duringthe first few months revealed that the foul-release-basedbooms shed marine biofouling more readily than the stockcontrol booms during handling. Similarly, with ambientwave and wake action, there was less accumulation ofmarine growth observed on the treated prototype.

FIT/CCBC, being a hull-coating biofouling test site ofrecord with Office of Naval Research, also fielded

numerous small swatches or coupons for shear forcebiofouling adhesion measurements. These tests attemptto measure the force with which barnacles and otherbiofouling matter adhere to a surface. Results of thistesting indicated that biofouling adherence was three tofive times lower in the prototype boom.

The first cleaning tests were conducted at Port Canaveralafter the prototype boom was in the water for ninemonths. This two-part effort started with a test to deter-mine the reduction in cleaning time that could beachieved by using oil booms with foul-release coating.

Photo adhesion and shear force biofouling testing showed the prototypeboom performed three to five times better than the stock boom. Pat Morrow


Stock boom segment after cleaning.

Foul-release boom segment after cleaning.

Test coupons of stock and treated boom as shown before cleaning. Kody Lieberman

Test coupons after cleaning. The prototype boom coupons are shown on the top row, second and fourth coupons from the left, and on the bottom row, third coupon from the left.Kody Lieberman

In the second test, a portion of each test boom, bothstock and foul-release prototype, underwent in-watercleaning using a pressure washer operating from a smallskiff with the boom segments moored along a floatingdock.

The out-of-water cleaning tests showed the timerequired to clean the foul-release based boom wasreduced by 52 percent when compared to the stockboom of similar design. Additional testing further indi-cated that in-water cleaning is likely practical and hassignificant potential for labor savings on the order of80 to 90 percent.

This is mainly because in-water cleaning eliminatesmuch of the labor required to remove the boom fromthe water. In-water cleaning could further reduce theoverall inventory of required oil boom, because anyboom removed for cleaning must be immediatelyreplaced with another boom.

Another significant result showed that the prototypeboom belting displayed comparable damage resistanceto the stock boom during pressure washing at nominalworking pressures of 3,000 pounds per square inch.However, some minimal care was required in handlingand cleaning to avoid damaging the foul-release-coatedfloats. In-water cleaning efforts demonstrated the prac-tical advantage of reducing the wear and tear associ-ated with handling and hauling the booms forout-of-water cleaning.

The ad hoc in-water cleaning tests at Port Canaveraldemonstrated that the prototype boom remained clearof fouling better than existing booms, and furtherdemonstrated that it is practical to remove an acceptableamount of fouling to maintain the proper performanceof the prototype foul-release boom. However, fouling stilloccurs and periodic cleaning will be required.

More field testing is planned to develop additionalmethods for efficient in-water cleaning. The focus willcontinue to be on reducing environmental impact anddetermining whether more or less frequent cleaning iswarranted with the use of these booms. The idea of morefrequent cleanings would be to clean often and lightlybefore heavy and hard fouling becomes well established.The benefits of less frequent cleanings are lowered laborcosts and less wear and tear from handling. With the foul-release material, the projection to date has been theability to clean easier, faster, and less often.

CurrentsSum15_01-72_Currents Template 7/29/15 2:19 PM Page 70


Upon completion of cleaning tests at the California andWashington locations, more conclusive performanceinformation will be available. Thus far, from the combinedresults of in-water observations and the recent cleaningtests at Port Canaveral, the foul-release material perfor-mance is encouraging. �

Matthew NaimanNaval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division301-227-4981DSN: [email protected]

Tim HuntNaval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division301-227-4313DSN: [email protected]

The Basics About the NESDI Program

THE NESDI PROGRAM seeks to provide solutions by demonstrating, validating and integrating innova-tive technologies, processes, materials, and filling knowledge gaps to minimize operational environ-mental risks, constraints and costs while ensuring Fleet readiness. The program accomplishes thismission through the evaluation of cost-effective technologies, processes, materials and knowledge thatenhance environmental readiness of naval shore activities and ensure they can be integrated intoweapons system acquisition programs.

The NESDI program is the Navy’s environmental shoreside (6.4) Research, Development, Testand Evaluation program. The program is sponsored by the Chief of Naval Operations Energyand Environmental Readiness Division and managed by the Naval Facilities EngineeringCommand out of the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center in PortHueneme, California. The program is the Navy’s complement to the Department of Defense’sEnvironmental Security Technology Certification Program which conducts demonstration andvalidation of technologies important to the tri-Services, U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyand Department of Energy.

For more information, visit the NESDI program web site at www.nesdi.navy.mil or contactKen Kaempffe, the NESDI Program Manager at 805-982-4893, DSN: 551-4893 [email protected].

For a one-page summary of this project, visit the NESDI web site, select “Projects” thenselect the “Fact Sheet” link for project 489.

Two different types of untreated stock boom were testedalongside the foul-release boom. Unexpectedly, there was anobserved improvement in the performance of the texturedstock boom over the smooth stock boom. The reasons forthis are being considered for further investigation.

More long-term study is needed regarding cleaningsavings and material longevity before a more detailedestimate can be made of the effective return on invest-ment. At present, this material offers significant improve-ment in performance for a cost premium.

It was found during the Florida cleaning trials thatcleaning effectiveness could be improved throughergonomic alterations to the wand of the pressurewasher as well as fixtures for securing the boom duringcleaning. These and other lessons learned will be appliedat the Navy sites on the west coast.

Initial observations of deployed boom test segments revealed that the foul-release-based booms shed marine biofouling more readily.

Kenneth HessCNO Energy and Environmental Readiness Division (Code N45)2000 Navy Pentagon, Room 2E258 Washington, DC 20350-2000

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Date post:	10-Jul-2020
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	1 times
Download:	0 times

NAVFAC Engineers Execute Energy Water · 2015-07-30 · Conservation Innovations at Camp Lemonnier...

Documents