With more than 70 research laboratories dedicated to researching, empowering, and enabling Soldiers and everything they eat, wear and carry, U.S. Army Garrison Natick and the Natick Soldier Systems Center mission partners face a variety of environmental support issues.
The breadth of research at the installation and NSSC include Climatic Chambers, a hypobaric (altitude) chamber and hypoxia room, thermal manikins, and clothing biophysics laboratories. The NSSC also has a combat rations production and packaging facility, biomechanics, 3-D anthropometric and water immersion laboratories. The NSSC is also home to two centers of excellence – the Fiber Center of Excellence and the Polymer Film Center of Excellence – as well as a thermal testing facility.
“USAG Natick is home to several premier research facilities, focused on sustaining current warfighting systems and developing and engineering solutions for the future,” said Richard Valcourt Environmental Division chief of the installation’s Directorate of Public Works.
The research conducted at Natick and NSSC also requires the use of many unique hazardous materials, which requires special effort and oversight, a challenge that the environmental team has excelled at.
“The robust research and development efforts at the facility utilize a vast number of hazardous materials in the installation’s day-to-day operations, which creates extremely complex hazardous waste streams that require special handling and disposal procedures to ensure safety,” said Valcourt.
With laboratory space covering more than 459,000 square feet, effective management techniques and procedures coupled with a focus on adherence to environmental standards allows them to maintain compliance while meeting the current and future needs of Soldiers.
Through efforts focused on laboratory work practices, inventory control and implementation of hazardous waste management techniques, the Environmental Team at Natick reduced the 6,920 pounds of hazardous waste in fiscal year 2022 to 5,800 pounds in FY 2023.
Another area of success at the installation is the minimization of solid waste through a variety of tactics, including reuse, repurpose and recycling initiatives that divert significant percentages of waste, reducing waste headed to the landfill or destined for incineration.
In FY 2022, of the 234 tons of solid waste, 57.4% was diverted, while 92.7% of the 150.8 tons of construction and demolition waste were diverted. In FY 2023, the installation posted even better results, diverting 64.4% of the 336 tons of solid waste and 100% of the 94.8tons of construction and demolition waste.
Seeking ways to reduce cost, maintain compliance and improve installation natural resources led to another success.
The Natick team developed an Intergovernmental Support Agreement with the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, to conduct tree surveys and risk assessments, provide arborist services for safety and tree preservation, and develop a tree management plan. The University, which has noted expertise in arboriculture, provides the team at Natick not only enhanced expertise and better care, but the agreement is estimated to produce $20,000 in savings annually for the next 10 years – a total estimated savings of $200,000.
“This IGSA will lead the way to future partnerships by opening a long-time closed door and demonstrating ‘win-win’ relationships we as an installation are willing and able to create working with the local community,” Valcourt said.
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