NAVFAC EXWC Hosts Hawaiian Senator to Tackle Red Hill Research and Development Initiatives

PORT HUENEME, CA, UNITED STATES

12.10.2019

Story by Sarah MacMillan 

Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center

PORT HUENEME, Calif. (12/10/2019) — Naval Facilities (NAVFAC) Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (EXWC) welcomed staffers from Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz office, members from the Office of Naval Research, University of Hawaii staff, and Naval Commands PACOM and Naval Facilities Hawaii to Port Hueneme to discuss pertinent issues with the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, and discuss the future of the U.S. Navy partnering with Hawaiian academia.
The meeting began with discussing research and development initiatives to reduce construction time and cost of the Clean-Inspect-Repair (CIR) Program, in addition to providing double-walled equivalency or secondary containment for the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. The discussion also emphasized improving corrosion detection and prevention, assisting with groundwater modeling efforts, developing virtual reality tours of Red Hill, and offering continuous soil vapor monitoring for the Red Hill grounds.
“Achievable and rapid solutions for real-world challenges such as those at Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility require a collaborative approach,” said Captain Michael Saum, NAVFAC EXWC Commanding Officer. “Establishment of a cooperative relationship with University of Hawaii College of Engineering and the University’s Applied Research Lab, significantly increases the breadth of perspective and approaches to solving this specific challenge.”
Currently, the University of Hawaii is working alongside professors and university personnel to provide coursework for students that aligns with the Navy’s goals for the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.
The meeting ended with NAVFAC EXWC spearheading the development of the roles and responsibilities of the U.S. Navy to engage the University of Hawaii and other partners. This includes a prioritized list of problem statements and action items to fund research, development and testing.
Moving forward, NAVFAC EXWC and the University of Hawaii will continue collaborating on the outlined roles and responsibilities of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, with hopes to involve academia in the near future.
For more news from NAVFAC EXWC visit https://www.navfac.navy.mil/ or on Facebook @NAVFACEXWC
About Naval Facilities (NAVFAC) Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (EXWC):
NAVFAC EXWC is a command of more than 1,300 dedicated federal employees, contractors, and military personnel who provide specialized facilities engineering, technology solutions, and life-cycle management of expeditionary equipment to the Navy, Marine Corps, federal agencies, and other Department of Defense supported commands.

• Date Taken: 12.10.2019
• Date Posted: 12.31.2019 14:42
• Story ID: 357958
• Location: PORT HUENEME, CA, US