As a leading combat training center and power projection platform for combat units, Fort Johnson in Louisiana has for many years been a critical installation for Army readiness and an active site – each year contributing more than $1.5 billion to the state’s economy.
Training at the post, formerly known as Fort Polk, began in the 1940s. As with many other longtime industrial and military sites, subsurface contamination caused by the storage and use of petroleum products has led to a host of corrective actions and clean ups.
“At Fort Johnson and the Joint Readiness Training Center we work hard to partner with regional municipalities, regulatory agencies and the State of Louisiana. Together, we share a commitment to sustain the natural environment and improve the quality of life of Soldiers and family members on and off the installation,” said DPW director Nathan Jernigan. “Fort Johnson is a resource resilient, self-sustaining installation that enables the readiness of its military units. Our partners play a critical role in making that happen.”
The cleanup work, including contamination assessments, site investigations, remediation and corrective actions has been ongoing at the installation since 1983. It has involved state, local and federal agencies. In the 1990s, the Environmental Protection Agency commissioned a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act facility assessment to identify problem areas and create plans to mitigate the contamination. This led ultimately to the establishment of Risk Evaluation/Corrective Action Program and Installation Restoration Program teams that laid out plans for more than 30 sites across the installation.
As the work continues, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has provided regulatory oversight of all the IRP sites, including investigations, assessments, and corrective actions.
“Issues of this size and scope require teamwork, a clear understanding of the goals and how that impacts the mission of the installation and, maybe most importantly, a willingness to work together to get things done effectively and cost-efficiently as possible,” said Jonathan West, Environmental Division chief. “We’ve built a solid framework to guide us in that important work.”
Part of keeping all the players and partners informed and engaged is regular communication, Georgia Louis, Fort Johnson’s restoration program manager said. Since 2001, the installation has created an annual Environmental Management and Performance Review to track and document annual accomplishments, provide performance metrics and tables, graphs and charts to show changes from year to year.
Their efforts have not gone unnoticed, and they are taking home the Secretary of the Army Environmental Awards Program Environmental Restoration category for 2024.
“The review is not just a great information sharing device, it is also an innovative tool for senior leadership to track program progress, identify environmental performance improvement opportunities, effectively manage risks, and drive improvements,” said Dylan Everett, Compliance Branch chief.
In addition to the installation environmental staff and the state and federal regulators, Fort Johnson has also added private sector expertise to address the ongoing work. Current site remediation and monitoring are being conducted under a $2 million contract.
“By adding a high level of expertise through the contract, we have been able to dramatically accelerate the site cleanup timeline with innovative and alternative remediation technologies. This, in turn, provides cost savings for the cleanup lifecycle of each site,” said Everett. “The contract allows for in-depth knowledge and technical experience that would otherwise be near impossible to obtain. This contract gives way to a community of subject matter experts that come together to resolve remediation for Fort Johnson’s past, present and future.”
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