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Army Agrees to Improve Wastewater Procedures at Fort Lewis

Release Date: 5/25/2000
Contact Information: Bub Loiselle
[email protected]
(206) 553-6901

May 24, 2000

The Environmental Protection Agency today announced it has reached agreement with the U.S. Army on steps the Army will take to correct chronic water pollution discharge problems at the Fort Lewis Army Installation.

Discharge Monitoring Reports from 1998 through May 1999 note 146 separate violations of an EPA-issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The violations were primarily for excessive discharge of oil and grease from auto and helicopter wash facilities. The Army is allowed to discharge polluted water into Puget Sound at Solo Point, but only in amounts specified in the NPDES permit.

In the agreement announced today, the Army agrees to:

• change its wastewater handling process at an auto wash;
• prepare a plan to deal with the problems at the helicopter wash;
• upgrade oil and grease treatment at its outfalls facilities;
• and upgrade a stormwater outfall as part of a major barracks renewal project.

According to Bub Loiselle, manager of EPA’s water quality compliance unit in Seattle, the Army has been cooperative but more needs to be done.

“It’s a matter of fairness and doing the right thing,” Loiselle said. “Private businesses spend hard-earned money to comply with their permits. The Army has the same responsibility to taxpayers to keep our local waters clean. The agreement we’ve reached with Fort Lewis shows that the Army is serious about its environmental responsibilities.”