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NAVFAC Washington Improves Utilities Services at Indian Head

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS050909-13
Release Date: 9/9/2005 12:51:00 PM

From Naval Facilities Engineering Command Public Affairs

INDIAN HEAD, Md. (NNS) -- In August, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Washington began work on improving a number of utility services at Indian Head and Stump Neck Annex here.

Two new water towers at Indian Head and one at the Stump Neck Annex were erected as part of a larger project to improve utility services.

Other aspects of the utility improvement project include a modernization of the steam plant, which includes extensive renovation work and installing a reverse osmosis (RO) system to replace the old demineralizer system.

Tenants of Naval District Washington West Area Indian Head will soon notice a marked improvement in water pressure throughout the base with the installation of new water towers.

“The old towers [were] deteriorated beyond repair and corroding quickly,” said Lt. Michael O’Donnell, NAVFAC Washington’s Deputy Resident Officer in Charge of Construction, noting that the costs to repair the old towers would have been about the same as the cost to construct new towers.

“The first thing people will notice is improved water pressure,” said Cathy Gardner, NAVFAC Washington Project Engineer.

Additionally, the water-storage capacity of the new water tower at Stump Neck will enhance the fire protection system there. The old water tank only held 250,000 gallons, while the new tower will double that capacity to more than 550,000 gallons.

The other aspects of the project included upgrades to the water purification system for steam boilers.

“The old demineralizer system uses chemicals to remove impurities, while the reverse osmosis system uses pressure and membranes to remove impurities. The RO system can filter out much smaller particles and even dissolved solids,” said O’Donnell.

Work also calls for sandblasting and painting the boiler feed tank and standpipe at the steam plant.

Two new wells, one on the main base and one at Stump Neck, will pump water directly into the new water tanks.

Additionally, improvements will be made to the wastewater treatment plant; new pumps will deliver cool water to the steam condensing and auxiliary cooling systems; and a dedicated river water pipeline will be installed to the river water filtration plant.

“This is an incredibly diverse project,” said William Bell, Quality Control Manager for Grimberg. “There’s a little bit of everything - piping, towers, reverse osmosis system, construction, demolition."

The entire project is scheduled to be completed by April 2006.