When the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) announced his Defense Environmental Awards winners in April, he named Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic’s Vieques Team as the top environmental restoration team, an award they have received previously for rigorous, ongoing work.
The honor follows Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Award announcements the month prior and is the fourth time the team earned both awards in a single year. The Vieques Environmental Restoration Team was previously given the bookend awards in 2016, 2018, and 2020, and also won the SECNAV award in 2022.
Often in the field, doggedly performing the work they are recognized for, NAVFAC Atlantic was finally able to formally present the team its awards May 23, 2024.
Formerly known as the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Area and Naval Ammunition Support Depot in Vieques, Puerto Rico, the two locations were once considered the Navy’s premier training range, ensuring combat readiness of US Atlantic Fleet Forces and for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations. During that time more than 300,000 munitions were fired during military training operations and when the range’s 23,000 acres of land and 12,000 acres of surrounding waters were placed on the National Priorities List (NPL), the Vieques Environmental Team set about the exhaustive restoration process.
“The work involves the methodical detection and removal of highly dangerous unexploded ordnance over massive land and underwater areas,” says Project Manager Kevin Cloe. “It’s been very satisfying to be involved with an outstanding project team and witness all of the progress that has turned this former Naval training range into a place that can be safely visited by the public.
As a part of the Navy’s Environmental Restoration (ERN) fleetwide program, the work in Puerto Rico remains one of the highest priority and costliest projects in the Navy's Munitions Response Program.
On both land and sea, the team is responsible for meeting Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) requirements. Given several unique challenges, many of the team’s leaders have worked the program almost since its inception.
“It's not just a job to us, we are committed to making the island a better place for the people of Vieques,” says Daniel Hood, a fellow program manager involved in restoration for years.
In addition to overseeing the cleanup of unexploded ordnance and environmental contaminants is both safe and cost-effective, the team manages myriad ecological and culturally sensitive resources. The team is also tasked with working with stakeholders to identify new ways to deliver on its promise to residents, opening new areas to the public for recreation as well as sites of cultural significance.
One of the more recent additions to programmatic services included teaming with U.S. Fleet Forces Command, integrating active-duty Navy explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) dive units to provide expertise in mitigating unexploded ordnance. In a single year, this saved the program nearly $200,000, doubling its cleanup productivity. The cooperative has proven beneficial to the EOD teams as well, improving their operational readiness through practical application in a real world environment.
“Daniel and Kevin are always on the lookout for new approaches and more efficient methods for dealing with unexploded ordnance. They’ve developed close working relationships with the research community, private industry, and regulatory agencies, so they’ve been able to run a safe and cost-effective operation for many years. Bottom line, they know how to get things done the right way,” said Dan Waddill, Vieques Restoration branch head.
To date, site workers have processed nearly 8.7 million pieces of munitions debris and scrap metal, and they have destroyed approximately 135,000 unexploded munitions, everything from grenades and submunitions to 2,000-pound bombs and 16-inch projectiles. To date, more than 17 million pounds of this material has been recycled.
The Navy has also partnered with government and academic entities to evaluate and implement marine ecology protection measures as a key part of its restoration strategy. The service has relocated dozens of threatened and endangered corals that would have otherwise been damaged or destroyed during underwater munitions removal, following procedures developed jointly with National Marine Fisheries Service.
In addition to those technical and scientific partnerships, the team is invested in the relationships developed with the community. NAVFAC Site Manager Maria Danois oversees the daily operations on site and leads the Navy community outreach program.
“As a Viequense who was raised in this small but great island, being part of the Vieques Cleanup team and actively contributing to the restoration of Vieques fills my heart with pride,” says Danois. “We provide diverse outreach activities to local schools, government agencies, and the entire community to keep the people informed about the cleanup progress and munitions safety.”
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command is the naval shore facilities, base operating support, and expeditionary engineering systems command that delivers life-cycle technical and acquisition solutions aligned to fleet and Marine Corps priorities. NAVFAC Atlantic includes four Facilities Engineering Commands that are the single provider of all NAVFAC products and services for Navy and Marine Corps clients in their regions. To learn more about the former Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Area in Vieques visit https://www.navfac.navy.mil/Divisions/Environmental/Products-and-Services/Environmental-Restoration/Atlantic/Vieques/Site-Descriptions/. Follow us at www.facebook.com/navfacatlantic.
| Date Taken: | 05.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2024 12:48 |
| Story ID: | 477111 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 132 |
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