Environmental Management Office, Fort Detrick

Bldg. 1546
Fort Detrick, Md. 21701

Phone: 301-619-6800
E-Mail: usagenvironment@amedd.army.mil

Environmental Hotline: 301-619-0044

The Environmental Hotline is in place for citizens of the Fort Detrick community to contact our office if they have environmental concerns such as spills of POLs or Hazardous Materials etc. This number will put the caller in touch with a Fort Detrick Environmental professional who will assist either directly or by connecting them to the appropriate subject matter expert. If members of the Fort Detrick have questions concerning environmental program areas at Fort Detrick, please contact us via e-mail at usagenvironment@amedd.army.mil.

Mission

To preserve, restore and improve the quality of Fort Detrick's environment, and to ensure compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations.

Program Areas

Air Quality

The Fort Detrick Air Program was put in place to ensure compliance with all aspects of federal, state and Army regulations involving air quality. Oversight is provided to properly manage Air Quality Permits to Construct and Permits to Operate, National Ambient Air Quality Standards, National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, stratospheric ozone protection, mobile sources, and acid rain. Fort Detrick is located in both ozone and particulate matter non-attainment areas and operates under a Title V Part 70 Operating Permit. This permit is the oversight document for all Fort Detrick emissions sources, including 200 or more boilers, four large incinerators, more than 20 electric generators, more than 40 oil and gasoline storage tanks, laboratory fume hoods and sterilizers, and gasoline dispensing systems.

Cultural and Natural Resources

Natural Resources Mission is to support the installation's commitment in sustaining a healthy environment in which to carry out its mission and to ensure that mission essential lands are sustained, the environment is protected, impacts are minimized, ecological diversity is promoted and recreational opportunities exist for all.

Cultural resources program goals include the protection and management of all resources that meet the National Register criteria for Evaluation and to facilitate compliance with applicable cultural resources laws, statutes, and regulations, to conserve Army resources and to support the mission of Fort Detrick.

Energy

The Fort Detrick Energy Management Program was put in place years before and redeveloped to accomplish the goals of Executive Order 13123, the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The program focuses on energy outreach and education, energy reduction, renewable energy consumption and water conservation.

Hazardous Materials Management Office

HMMO Services

Installation Restoration

Restoration Advisory Board

Internal Environmental Assessments

The Fort Detrick Internal Environmental Assessment Program was put into place to ensure compliance with Army Regulation 200-1, Department of Army Installation Management Agency Policy Memorandum and the Fort Detrick Environmental Management System (EMS). Each internal environmental assessment will consider applicable Federal, State, Army and local regulatory requirements. Most internal environmental assessments are based on the significance of environmental impacts, previous compliance issues and frequency of regulatory inspections. Annual assessments will be completed using a pre-developed checklist. Those facilities having significant impacts of compliance issues will be assessed more frequently. Subsequent assessments during the same year will be focused on specific environmental program areas based on earlier findings.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

The purpose of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is to incorporate environmental considerations into federal agency planning and action. This is accomplished by systematically providing decision-makers and other stakeholders with information necessary to understand any potentially significant environmental impacts associated with agency proposals. Title 32, CFR Part 651 is the Army's NEPA regulation. NEPA procedures must insure that environmental information is available to public officials and citizens before decisions are made, and before actions are taken. Fort Detrick ensures appropriate NEPA documents are developed to comply with NEPA. NEPA documents include either a Record of Environmental Consideration (REC), Environmental assessment (EA), or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Solid Waste and Recycling

Fort Detrick Integrated Solid Waste Management reflects the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pollution prevention hierarchy that places an emphasis on source reduction and recycling to reduce the solid waste stream. This management strategy is also in line with the Army Strategy for the Environment, "Sustain the Mission - Secure the Future". Everyone is responsible for source reduction, including federally-mandated suggested buying practices such as buying recycled, recycling, and proper waste disposal. Efficient materials management focuses on pollution prevention (P2), also known as source reduction and waste minimization, to produce fewer wastes and use less toxic chemicals. This also means diverting material from going to waste through recycling and energy recovery. Integrated Solid Waste Management at Fort Detrick is designed to minimize initial generation of solid waste through source reduction, and then emphasize reuse of materials, recycling, and affirmative procurement or buying recycled.

We at Fort Detrick pledge (and you can help) to reduce solid wastes at the source, where feasible, manage solid wastes in a manner protective of human health and the environment, and maintain compliance with all applicable Federal, State of Maryland, local, and Department of Defense, and Army regulations and performance metrics.

Water Programs

The Fort Detrick Water Quality Program is responsible for protecting the installation's water resources and maintaining compliance with all applicable Federal, State, Army and local regulations. The Fort Detrick Environmental Management Office provides water quality compliance and conservation management for the drinking water, wastewater and stormwater programs.

Drinking Water

Fort Detrick owns and operates the installations Water Treatment Plant and distribution system. The Directorate of Installation Services and Environmental Management Office are continually committed in providing our customers with safe and reliable drinking water that meets or exceeds water quality standards required by the Safe Drinking Water Act. Fort Detrick is permitted to withdrawal source water from the Monocacy River for treatment and distribution. The Fort Detrick WTP utilizes conventional treatment processes and is operated 24 hours a day.

Wastewater

Fort Detrick owns and operates the installations Wastewater Treatment Plant and collection system. The Directorate of Installation Services and Environmental Management Office are committed to provide necessary treatment of sanitary wastewater to meet water quality effluent standards required by the Clean Water Act. Fort Detrick is permitted to discharge treated sanitary effluent into the Monocacy River. Fort Detrick has established a Non-Domestic Wastewater Control regulation to satisfy Federal and State pretreatment requirements. Fort Detrick maintains an industrial and laboratory wastewater pretreatment program to minimize the amounts and types of pollutants released to the sanitary sewer collection system. Laboratory wastewater is decontaminated at the location of disposal, lab sinks and drains, prior to discharge into the sanitary sewer collection system. All potentially infectious wastewater from high containment laboratories is conveyed to the Steam Sterilization Plant for additional thermal treatment prior to discharge into the sanitary sewer collection system. The Fort Detrick Wastewater Treatment Plant uses the following processes for biological and chemical treatment of sanitary wastewater: primary clarifiers, trickling filters, secondary clarifiers, chlorine disinfection, sulfur dioxide dechlorination, anaerobic sludge digestion and sludge drying beds. The plant is operated and staffed 24 hours a day.

Stormwater

Fort Detrick is permitted to discharge stormwater runoff from residential, commercial, industrial and construction areas in accordance with numerous National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Fort Detrick's NPDES permits prohibit non-stormwater discharges that may impact the quality of water in the receiving waterways. All stormwater runoff from the installation is discharged into Carroll Creek and Monocacy River, and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay. Fort Detrick is committed to controlling the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff from the installation to minimize impacts to the surrounding environment. Various best management practices (BMPs) are being employed to eliminate or minimize stormwater pollution. These BMPs include: public education, involvement and outreach; environmental compliance and operations stormwater training; illicit discharge protection; construction site runoff control; post construction quantity and quality stormwater management; and pollution prevention and good housekeeping.