WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Lois Capps today commended the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center at Port Hueneme for winning the 2003 White House Closing the Circle Award for its design for low cost prevention and remediation of MTBE contamination resulting from leaking underground fuel storage tanks. The award recognizes federal employees for their outstanding environmental stewardship.
“MTBE from leaking underground storage tanks has contaminated groundwater on the Central Coast and throughout the nation,” said Rep. Capps. “I am thrilled that the White House has recognized the groundbreaking work being done right here at Port Hueneme to institute low cost technology to clean up MTBE so that we can once again have confidence that our drinking water is safe.”
Congresswoman Capps is the author of legislation, the Drinking Water Protection Act, which would allow Congress to spend up to $200 million each year from the Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Trust fund. Since the LUST fund’s inception, Congress has spent only about 40% of available funds, which at the end of this year will stand at $2.1 billion. Capps bill would authorize Congress to spend more of this funding to aggressively clean up MTBE contamination sites.
The nationally recognized technology developed by the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center is the first proven low-cost solution for remediation of MTBE. At one site alone, use of this new technology has led to cost-savings of over $30 million and resulted in a significant reduction in impact to scarce groundwater resources. This work will have an important impact on a very critical groundwater problem across the nation.
"This Closing of the Circle Award recognizes an outstanding project in our National Test Site Program and the team from Naval Base Ventura County, Arizona State University, Shell Global Solutions, and the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center,” said Richard O. Gamble II, Commanding Officer, Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center. “Without this teamwork and support from the regulatory community, we would not have this innovative solution to the MTBE problem."
The project’s success persuaded regulators to allow the application of the biobarrier technology at the Port Hueneme plume, savings taxpayers about $30 million over the cost of the conventional “pump and treat” technology. The in-situ MTBE biobarrier technology, first proved on a large scale at Port Hueneme, has the potential to be applied to numerous other sites throughout the country. As a result of the success of the project, the Navy in Port Hueneme has been internationally recognized as a leader in MTBE remediation.
