District commander tours Fort Irwin construction projects
Maj. Hugh Dougalas, USACE project engineer for the new Fort Irwin Water Works project, explains the water treament process to Col. Kirk Gibbs, the commander of the Los Angeles District during a tour of the processing building. Gibbs, toured several District projects at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, during a visit to the fort Sept. 9-10. “Fort Irwin is such an important Army post, as far as the readiness of our entire Army,” said Gibbs. “To be a partner with them and doing construction that supports that overall readiness mission, which is Gen. Milley’s [Gen. Mark A. Milley, Army chief of staff] number one priority, readiness.” Gibbs further commented that the work that the District is doing at the NTC supports one of USACE’s Campaign Plan goals of “Support National Security,” in that the District is partnering with the installation to deliver and maintain enduring installations. Also, the water treatment plant construction project, known as the Irwin Water Works, clearly supports another objective of the campaign plan to achievie energy security and sustainability. The project is the Design Build of a 6.0 million gallon per day Water Treatment Plant. The Plant will treat all contaminants found in Fort Irwin's ground water in accordance with federal and state requirements (i.e.: arsenic, fluoride, nitrate, and total dissolved solids). The Plant will include an Electro-Dialysis Reversal EDR primary treatment process along with water recovery on the waste stream. The total water recovery of the plant will exceed 99 percent or better with zero liquid discharge. The project also includes water supply and distribution system upgrades to further support the Fort Irwin community.