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Seal Beach Pulls in Platinum Energy, Water Conservation Award

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100827-06
8/27/2010

By Ensign Burch Thornley, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Public Affairs

SEAL BEACH, Calif. (NNS) -- Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Seal Beach, Calif., was awarded the Secretary of the Navy Energy and Water Conservation Management Platinum Level of Achievement Aug. 19.

The base received the award due to a variety of forward thinking initiatives, such xeriscaping and photovoltaic power systems.

Commands who receive the Platinum Level of Achievement demonstrate an outstanding energy program and an exceptional year for energy project execution.

"At Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach we're fortunate to have engineers, planners, acquisition, and maintenance departments all taking initiatives in energy efficiency," said Matt Duke, Resource Efficiency manager. "It really is an all-hands process, with everyone doing their part."

To help with reducing energy consumption and make the base more efficient, two new photovoltaic power systems were activated in April 2010, and another system awarded in 2009 is scheduled to come online in September.

"When fully implemented these systems will supply annually the equivalent amount of energy to power 73 average U.S. homes," Duke said.

Rick Tiernay, NSW Seal Beach Resource Energy manager, said these initiatives were instrumental in helping the base reach it's environmental goals.

"The base achieved a 22 percent reduction in energy in FY 2009 compared to the FY 2003 baseline, which translates to a $212,600 reduction in energy cost," he said. "The federal reduction goal for 2009 was 12 percent."

Seal Beach also tackled the issue of water management.

"Through implementation of irrigation controllers, low water consumption landscaping, and reduced watering during rainy seasons, the base was able to achieve a 26.9 percent reduction in water usage compared to the FY 2007 baseline," Tiernay said. "The federal goal for water reduction was a mere four percent - as seen with the energy goal, we are far exceeding federal mandates."

Several unique solutions to water conservation were also put into effect on base. In following with the all-hands approach, the base worked with farmers who lease land on the installation, having them switch from using potable water to well water for dust control.

Although moving up from the Gold Level Award last year to Platinum this year, the command is continuing its efforts. In August, the base awarded a Utility Energy Service Contract with a local utility company.

"Through this contract alone the base will be able to achieve another seven percent reduction in utility usage, or roughly $110,000 savings annually," Tiernay said.