FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 28, 2016
PARTNERSHIP WITH NAS JACKSONVILLE BENEFITS FLORIDA'S ENVIRONMENT
~Collaboration between military and state agency reduces environmental impacts and streamlines regulatory processes~
JACKSONVILLE - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville continue to partner to protect Florida's environment.
This week, NAS Jacksonville celebrated the completion of two fixed-wing runways between the St. Johns River and Roosevelt Boulevard. DEP's Northeast District air permitting team worked closely with the NAS beginning with pre-application meetings through the project design and construction process to ensure compliance and to minimize environmental impacts.
"We are proud of our special partnership with the Navy," said Greg Strong, Director of DEP's Northeast District. "By working together to find solutions, we can also streamline some of our regulatory processes and ensure a higher level of environmental performance.”
"NAS Jacksonville takes great pride in its overall environmental stewardship; all local, state and federal environmental regulations are our priority," said NAS Jacksonville Commanding Officer, Capt. Howard Wanamaker. "We appreciate the assistance that DEP provided to ensure all our environmental permitting requirements were being met. Our strong partnership has allowed us to safely and effectively meet all our project timelines."
This partnership has led to many successful projects. For example, in October 2015, DEP's Northeast District participated in the Naval Air Station Jacksonville's ribbon cutting ceremony that highlighted the station’s successful improvements to its wastewater treatment plant, making it the first major utility in Northeast Florida to achieve zero discharge to the St. Johns River.
The NAS Jacksonville wastewater reuse project is an important regional success story—and it shows how the city, state and federal teams can work together to reduce environmental impacts, improve compliance and protect public health.
Since 2002, the Northeast District has been an active member of the Navy Compliance Partnering Team, which is comprised of representatives from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport, Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, the St. Johns River Water Management District and the City of Jacksonville. The Navy Compliance Partnering Team meets quarterly to develop and maintain a proactive partnership that identifies and implements innovative solutions to improve compliance, protect public health and improve Florida’s environment.
|
