Photo By Capt. Aaron Moshier | CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti - Camp Lemonnier’s (CLDJ) Public Works Department is in the...... read more read more
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CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti - Camp Lemonnier’s (CLDJ) Public Works Department is in the process of converting wastewater into water that can be reused for other purposes around the installation. The ‘Purple Pipe Project’ is estimated to save approximately 3.6 million gallons of fresh water each year.
As a way to conserve water and comply with government energy reduction standards, the Public Works Department and Navy Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) developed the Purple Pipe Project and awarded construction to JV SKE Group in July 2016.
The Republic of Djibouti, located in the Horn of Africa, is a dry region that averages roughly six inches of rainfall annually. In comparison, Norfolk receives more than 50 inches of rain each year.
CLDJ’s wastewater treatment plant discharges approximately 220,000 gallons of treated water per day to the ocean. Nearly 10,000 gallons of this water is reclaimed for purposes such as vehicle washing, landscaping, construction uses and dust mitigation.
The base is home to more than 5,000 service members, civilian DOD personnel, as well as contractors. All personnel who live on the 660-acre installation have a daily need for water. CLDJ Construction Manager, Navy Lt. Henry Pollock, said that as an installation, CLDJ has a water demand that requires conservation.
“Living in the desert, water is a luxury,” Pollock said. “We’re conscience minded about that and making sure that we’re utilizing water efficiently and reusing everything that we can.”
The $1.7M-project gets its name from the color of the pipes used to deliver reclaimed water.
Currently, fresh potable water is being used to flush toilets and urinals in the barracks and containerized living units (CLUs) that will be served by the Purple Pipe Project. The new system will use the reclaimed water to accomplish the same tasks.
Installing roughly 9,000 linear feet of purple pipe will distribute reclaimed water from the existing reuse water tank on base. The system will serve two buildings, including enlisted living quarters, as well as five CLU blocks, where hundreds currently live.
Water on CLDJ is currently treated via reverse osmosis water purifying units (ROWPU), which is a water purification technology that uses a semipermeable membrane to remove ions, molecules and larger particles from drinking water.
Pollock said that the water product on CLDJ is essentially the same process used on Navy ships and submarines.
“Our technology is one of the most expensive technologies available,” Pollock said. “The [raw] water [treated] has a high content of [salt]; it’s an ideal technology to use.”
Pollock said that the reclaimed water exceeds U.S. Environment Protection Agency wastewater standards.
“Here [at CLDJ], we go above and beyond,” Pollock said. “We put it through a sand filter pack and it gets chlorinated and is transferred to the store tank.”
CLDJ Production Division Director, Public Works Department, Navy Lt. Josh Huesing, said shedding 10,000 to 25,000 gallons of water per day off of what we have to make adds resiliency and redundancy to the plant. At this time, the installation’s monetary savings is not overly significant since it’s not paying a per-gallon rate like most stateside installations.
“Our estimated diesel fuel savings from the reduction in electrical load to the plant and the water pumps is about $20,000 a year,” Heusing said.
Pollock said that this new system for reusing water makes sense for CLDJ water conservation efforts.
“That is why this project is important,” Pollock said. “I feel like it is drinkable water we’re pulling out of the wells that we’re using to flush our toilets – we can be using water that has no other use.”
Completion of the Purple Pipe Project is scheduled for July 31, 2018.
Navy Public Works Departments support and maintain facilities and infrastructure on Naval installations worldwide as part of the NAVFAC overall mission.
NAVFAC Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia (EURAFSWA) manages facility project planning and design, including all related acquisition, construction, leasing, environmental, maintenance, and contingency support required by the Navy and Department of Defense commands where the Navy is designated as the lead agent in Europe, Southwest Asia, and the Gulf of Guinea, Africa, and the Horn of Africa.
Camp Lemonnier is one of Navy Region EURAFSWAs installations that conducts six lines of operations to support air operations, port operations, safety, security, quality of life, and what is called the core: the fuels, water and power that keep the bases operating.
Camp Lemonnier’s mission includes enabling joint warfighters operating forward and to reinforce the U.S. – Djibouti relationship by providing exceptional services and facilities for the tenant commands, transient U.S. assets and service members.
| Date Taken: | 06.30.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.30.2018 04:45 |
| Story ID: | 282946 |
| Location: | CAMP LEMONNIER, DJ |
| Web Views: | 522 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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