Program background
To support the Department of Defense commitment to environmental stewardship, the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, has a wide range of capabilities. Dedicated managers and a responsive contracting team support the technically driven processes used by Huntsville Center to minimize customer burdens.
Huntsville Center has managed environmental investigations at hundreds of DOD sites, at large active facilities, formerly owned or used properties, government owned contractor-operated locations, training areas, maintenance areas, storage areas and spill sites. Huntsville Center has produced Remedial Design, Time-Critical and Non-Time-Critical Design and Interim Action Design Documentation for many DOD Superfund and Corrective Action sites.
The Environmental Program has expanded to meet today’s environmental needs such as Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001), stormwater management plans, spill prevention plans and baseline risk assessments. Huntsville Center provides project design and environmental services focusing on investigations and remediation at DOD Superfund level Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Base Realignment and Closure sites.
Huntsville Center has supported the Defense Logistics Agency and Army Materiel Command at large facilities around the country, and now provides environmental services for DLA’s Defense National Stockpile Center, Defense Supply Center Columbus, Defense Distribution Center and Defense Energy Supply Center, as well as the Office of Secretary of Defense and the Marine Corps.
Huntsville Center also provides environmental services to Corps Districts, such as the New York and Sacramento Districts. Huntsville Center acts as central manager, executing CERCLA/RCRA phases; performing Environmental Baseline Studies, Environmental Compliance Assessments Surveys (ECAS); establishing Environmental Management Systems conformance and training; managing programmatic integration of site data; schedules and budgets; environmental documentation; environmental permits; and small removal/remedial actions.
Regulatory Compliance
When a DOD component has a need for environmental engineering services, Huntsville Center uses accepted Environmental Protection Agency protocols, guidance documents and implementation directives to ensure regulatory compliance and acceptance is achieved for all actions. CERCLA actions conform to applicable OSWER directives and employ a phased progression through Preliminary Assessment (PA), Site Investigation (SI), Remedial Investigation (RI), Feasibility Study (FS), Record of Decision (ROD), Remedial Design (RD), Remedial Action (RA), Long Term Monitoring (LTM), Periodic Review and site closeout. NEPA actions conform to 40CFR1500-15081 and employ standard processes of Environmental Assessment (EA) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). RCRA efforts conform to 40 CFR 260 and authorized state implementation requirements, including incinerator, landfill, and underground storage tank requirements of the Hazardous and Solid Wastes Amendments of 1984.
Environmental Monitoring
In response to Executive Order 13148 and 13423, Huntsville Center also provides EMS and Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health, and Management System (ESOHMS) services to DOD agencies for development and implementation of the required training, documentation, auditing, data management and other technical support.
Pre-demolition Assessments
Huntsville Center support to other federal agencies includes services for building repair, renovation or demolition. Environmental engineering support for these efforts includes provision of field resources for NEPA documentation. Expertise is available in-house and by contract for development of EA and EIS documents, asbestos and hazardous materials sampling, pre-demolition remediation, recycling and landfill diversion support.
Munitions and Explosive Compounds
Huntsville Center efforts to address MEC at Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) as well as active installations in support of environmental remediation or construction efforts use expertise provided by the Environmental Program when MEC projects require integration with existing Hazardous, Toxic and Radioactive Waste (HTRW) site efforts. Regulatory interpretation, chemistry and risk assessment services are available and used as required to facilitate Huntsville Center MEC program managers in completion of mission requirements.
Implementing developing programs
Huntsville Center Environmental Engineering expertise supports active Army missions by Army Central Command in overseas locations to facilitate environmental stewardship for Army and DOD components at military areas of responsibility. Huntsville Center has provided contract support for development of environmental master plans for ongoing military actions as well as post-use evaluation and clean-up criteria for impacted areas.