Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa Narrative Introduction

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1 2016 Chief of Naval Operations Environmental Award Environmental Quality Overseas Installation Narrative Introduction Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti (CLDJ) provides, operates and sustains superior service in support of combat readiness and security of ships, aircraft, detachments and personnel for regional and combatant command requirements; and enables operations in the Horn of Africa while fostering positive U.S.-African Nation relations. Camp Lemonnier is a U.S. Navy led installation operated by Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia (EURAFSWA) via U.S. Naval Forces Africa and Commander, Navy Installations Command. Approximately 6,400 U.S., joint and allied forces military and civilian personnel and U.S. Department of Defense contractors work on base, with the majority (5,500 non-contractor personnel) also residing on the 630 acre base. The base also provides employment for approximately 100 local and third country nation workers. Figure 1: Camp Lemonnier- Home of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) and other tenant commands that conduct anti-terrorist operations in Africa and the surrounding seas. While the United States had long understood that Islamic extremists used the large desert areas of northeastern Africa, known as the Horn of Africa, as a base of operations, its efforts to combat the threat had been minimal before the attacks of Sept 11, Following the attacks, the U.S. began to expand anti-terrorism efforts in the area. At first, those efforts were limited to focused attacks, but in 2002, the U.S. government realized that to reduce extremism would require long term engagement with the local governments and populations. As a result, it established the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa to conduct stability operations in the area. Today, Camp Lemonnier is home to 27 tenant commands, serving as a key location from which U.S. and Coalition forces operate in the Horn of Africa. Background The mission of the environmental division (ENV) of the Public Works Department is to ensure operations at CLDJ are protective of the environment by complying with the Overseas Environmental Baseline Guidance Document (OEBGD). Specifically ENV targets safe and clean drinking water, water conservation, solid waste reduction, and air quality. Arid conditions limit the available freshwater for consumption and therefore emphasizes the importance of water conservation and water reuse, where applicable. Solid waste is another significant aspect because CLDJ has the unique role of hosting the majority of the workforce after hours for lodging, food, and recreation, meaning that the average person s waste stream stays entirely on the Installation.

2 In 2016 CLDJ personnel raised concern about air quality due to open trash burning outside of the Installation as well as dust storms and on base emission sources, such as incinerators and generators. Since then, ENV has focused on reducing air emissions by conserving energy, modifying incinerator operations, and working the U.S. Embassy to discourage offsite open trash burns. ENV consists of an Installation Environmental Program Director and two contractors, plus reach back support from EURAFSWA. Routinely, ENV participates in the indoctrination training, meets with key stakeholders, such as AFRICOM and Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF), often to address environmental concerns, ensure compliance, and continually improve the environmental program. The work and efforts of this small but mighty ENV, has saved about $900,000 in costs, decreased waste by 1.5 million plastic water bottles, and reduced Styrofoam container usage by 50% between 2014 and Summary of Accomplishments Waste Reduction Efforts Green Initiative: Off-Spec Fuel JP-8 fuel which does not meet military specification (off-spec fuel) cannot be used for military aircraft. This off-spec fuel was disposed of as hazardous waste (HW) at substantial hazardous waste disposal cost of $503 per drum. At the beginning of this initiative, there were about 70 drums of off-spec fuel in the hazardous waste storage area (HWSA). Off-spec fuel can be blended with diesel fuel for maintaining temperature in the incinerators. To ensure no negative impact on the performance of the incinerators, the ratio of diesel to off-spec fuel is limited to 20/1 or 5%. For example, when 200 gallons of diesel is being added to the incinerator fuel tanks, 10 gallons of off-spec fuel is added to the tank. Blending should continue whenever usable off-spec fuel is available. The estimated cost savings per year is Figure 2: Off-spec aviation fuel awaiting repurposing as incinerator fuel instead of HW disposal; saving CLDJ about $92K/year in HW disposal and diesel fuel costs. based on the HW disposal diversion plus the reduced consumption of diesel fuel. HW cost avoidance/year = $503/drum x 150 drums/year = $75,450/year Diesel Savings/year = $111.65/drum x 150 drums/year = $16,747/year TOTAL INITIATIVE SAVINGS/YEAR = $75,450/year + $16,747/year = $92,197 Page 2

3 Green Initiative: Million Bottle Campaign Camp Lemonnier consumed about 2.3 million plastic bottles of water per year. Yes, 2.3 million water bottles! The Million Bottle Campaign was to change the consumer habits and environmental culture at CLDJ by asking each person to make the environmentally conscious decision to refill their water bottles from the chilled drinking water fill stations as often as possible, instead of taking new water bottles. The goal was to reduce 1 million plastic water bottles a year from our trash and incinerators. Decreased trash and reduced incineration results in fresher air. Figure 3: Million Bottle Campaign - CLDJ ENV, NAVSUP and PAO teamed up for the highly successful initiative to promote making the conscience decision to reduce waste one bottle at a time. With a team effort by CLDJ leadership, PAO, NAVSUP and Environmental, the Million Bottle Campaign was a huge success with an approximate 65% reduction in one-time use plastic bottles. Camp Lemonnier reduced plastic bottle use by over 1.5 million bottles which was far better than the original 1 million bottle goal and saves the NAVSUP $720,000 per year to use on improved food choices. Green Initiative: Drinking Water Stations Plastic bottles for water and other beverages are used extensively throughout CLDJ; especially due to the heat and need for regular hydration. Plastic bottles are typically made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and can be incinerated. However, plastic PET disposal added 13.3% to the total refuse weight incinerated last year. Incomplete burning of plastic and Styrofoam could release harmful chemicals into the air, so reducing the amount of plastics and Styrofoam from incineration, reduces the risk of unintentional chemical releases into the air. Figure 4: Drinking Water Refill Stations: Refilling bottles has already reduced waste by 1.5 million bottles! Page 3

4 Drinking water fill stations are in strategic locations throughout the installation to provide chilled drinking water for refillable containers. Use of these drinking water fill stations is already an accepted norm by many personnel. At an estimated cost of a dollar per gallon, there is a significant savings over single use plastic water bottles. Green Initiative: Elimination of Styrofoam Clamshell Containers Styrofoam clamshell containers are used on CLDJ in the Combat Café, Grab and Go, and the Galley. Before April 2016, the installation discarded 110,000 containers per month, which cost $0.13 per unit for a total cost of $7,150 per month ($85,800 per year) and made up 5.2% of the total waste by weight. Camp Lemonnier strategically limited the availability of Styrofoam containers in the Galley, which reduced use to 55,000 containers per month for a 50% reduction. Additionally, biodegradable clamshell containers are now being considered as a good substitute for the remaining Styrofoam containers as they are made from organic material and are a better environmental option. Environmental Compliance Assessment and Management Program Overseas Hazardous Waste Training Because of high turnover the majority of the staff was not trained in overseas Hazardous Waste Storage Area (HWSA) as required by the OEBGD. In September 2016 ENV reached back to EURAFSWA to train 63 personnel assigned to HWSA. The lead trainer was the Hazardous Waste Program Manager for NSA Naples, which provided a great platform to share crossprogram information and feedback. Environmental Management System (EMS) Enhanced Management Review Boards Recognizing the value of top management involvement in the environmental programs at CLDJ, the Commanding Officer increased the number of EMS Management Review Board Meetings from once per year to quarterly or four times per year. The increased frequency of Management Review allows for Camp Lemonnier leadership to be more actively engaged in environmental continual improvements and have a positive influence on the EMS significant aspects. Green Initiative: Operation Fresh Air Air quality at CLDJ has been a concern due to various on and off Installation emission sources. The largest source of air pollution appears to be the off-installation Douda open pit burn dump area. The most significant CLDJ emission sources are the two- 20 tons per day municipal solid waste incinerators. While we cannot control the off base open pit burning of various types of refuse, we do have operational control of when the incinerator is being utilized. By proactively suspending incinerator operations when sustained winds from the incinerators are in the direction of the CLDJ facilities the potential impact of air emissions from incinerator operations is greatly reduced. ENV also supports the Emergency Medical Facility s ongoing air sampling and monitoring efforts by looking for improved sampling equipment and reviewing the results prior to general release. Page 4

5 Effective Use of Funds In-House Sampling and Testing Being located in the Horn of Africa, CLDJ incurs costly fees for environmental services that are multiples higher than other installations. Performing sampling and analysis can be very expensive. Camp Lemonnier reviewed in-house capabilities and improved programs by performing some environmental sampling and testing services in-house, to drastically reduce cost and save time. New in-house service capabilities includes a Photo Ionizing Detector (PID) to assess potential fuel or volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination in soil down to 0.1 parts per million (ppm), a Soil Core Sampler that allows for in-house sampling of soil cores to send to a laboratory for certified lab analysis and documented confirmation that a site is clean, and a field operated Conductivity Meter that allows instantaneous field testing of storm water, ROWPU discharge water and WWTP discharge water to ensure salinity levels are acceptable for release to the coastal waters of Djibouti. Community Relations (Overseas) Enduring Footprints Born from a desire to reduce the impact to the local environment, the Enduring Footprints program seeks to tie environmental initiatives to a meaningful understanding of the localities in which CLDJ exists. This is done in order to preserve and protect this unique and historical part of the world. The Horn of Africa has been called the "Cradle of Humankind, as this region is widely considered to be where early Homo sapiens emerged some 400,000 years ago to settle, Figure 5: Enduring Footprints Members from Camp Lemonnier, NAVFAC Atlantic and William & Mary University working together to protect the cultural artifacts in a historical nomadic village, dating back to Neolithic period near Chabelley Airfield in the Horn of Africa, Djibouti. populate, and leave their footprints upon other parts of our world. CLDJ has made a conscious effort to preserve and protect the area by actively engaging in environmental initiatives that will have a long-lasting impact to the region. Furthermore, the addition of the August 2016 Draft Cultural Resources Management Plan (CRMP) helps CLDJ to identify and protect cultural resources in the areas of our jurisdiction and draws into identification, evaluation, and management of the resources, including public outreach and awareness inside and outside of the base. Page 5

6 Working together in a partnership through the U.S. Embassy with the Djiboutian government, artifacts found are documented and protected. The Enduring Footprints program has shown great promise of our unwavering commitment in safeguarding and preserving the history of this land on and off the installation. Camp Lemonnier will continue to educate service members through methods, strategies, and ongoing CLDJ green initiatives that will reduce our environmental footprint in this important part of the world. Joint Reception, Staging, Onward Movement, and Integration (JRSOI) Indoctrination training for onboarding new CLDJ personnel occurs every 2 weeks. ENV uses this platform to discuss EMS goals, stewardship opportunities, compliance, resource conservation, and solid waste minimization. Since tours are 6 months to 12 months in length for DOD civilians, active duty military and reservists, the ENV briefs are particularly important to keep ENV progress moving forward. ENV program success relies heavily on environmental awareness and community involvement. Several of the CLDJ Green Initiatives were created to address resident concerns in a timely manner. Partnering with the U.S. Embassy - Djibouti The U.S. Embassy in Djibouti often requests assistance from CLDJ Public Works, specifically ENV. Recently meetings have focused on discussions with the Djibouti government related to landfill space, solid waste disposal, and monitoring the illegal open burn sites out in town. With continued support from the Embassy as well as the local government, the air quality has improved and will continue to enhance the quality of life for our CLDJ personnel. Environmental Planning and Analysis (Overseas) Partnering with the Smithsonian Institute Camp Lemonnier ENV partnered with the Smithsonian Institute (Global Genome Initiative) to conduct a second biological expedition in February Two goals were achieved. The first was to provide inventory and understanding of the biological diversity of CLDJ and adjacent areas of Djibouti in order to contribute to the Navy s Natural Resource Management Plan (NRMP), Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) Program, and to support health protection awareness for deployed personnel through vector surveillance and documentation. The second goal achieved was to document species diversity by collecting and accurately identifying voucher specimens to be used in the molecular identification of wildlife strikes from the region in support of the Navy s BASH mitigation efforts for CLDJ, and to enhance public research collections and genetic libraries. Page 6