Environmental Partnership Cekebrated

NAS Jacksonville hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 15 at Patriots Grove to celebrate completion of the station’s wastewater reuse project. It’s the first major utility in Northeast Florida to achieve zero discharge of treated wastewater into the St. Johns River.

NAS Jacksonville Environ-mental Director Kevin Gartland said the achievement was a direct result of strong, long-term environmental partnerships with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), St. Johns River Water Management District, City of Jacksonville and Timuquana Country Club golf course.

“Reuse of treated wastewater has eliminated the withdrawal of 73 million gallons of groundwater from the Florida Aquifer every year – saving $200,000 in annual fees for potable water, while reducing said Gartland

NAS Jacksonville Com-manding Officer Capt. Howard Wanamaker explained,” It all began in 1998 when our station leadership agreed to divert thousands of gallons per day of treated wastewater to Timucuana Country Club to irrigate its golf course. In 2004 the FDEP issued permits to the Navy to expand its wastewater reuse system to its own 27-hole golf course and spray fields.”

In 2007, the station prepared an application for the City of Jacksonville to obtain a $175,000 Florida Defense Alliance grant to design the reuse expansion. In 2010, the station obtained a $1.8 million Navy energy conservation grant for phased construction.

In 2011, the station prepared another application for the City of Jacksonville to obtain a $1.8 million matching grant from the St. Johns River Water Management District to construct the remainder of the reuse system expansion.

In 2012, the station completed its portion of the project with a two-mile, direct-bore purple pipe to a 10-acre reuse pond next to the NAS Jacksonville Golf Club.

In October 2015, the City of Jacksonville completed construction of two more miles of purple pipe to the spray fields at the southern area of the station.

Since its inception, the wastewater reuse project has eliminated the discharge of more than 315 million gallons a year of treated wastewater into the St. Johns River. At the same time, the system prevented the withdrawal of more than 44 million gallons of potable water from the Florida Aquifer.

Wanamaker added, “This significant achievement was the direct result of our station’s long-term environmental partnerships with multiple players from state, city and civic organizations – and all focused on the common goal of improving the water quality of the St. Johns River.”




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