A series of recently completed environmental services projects done for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) at a remote base in Alaska has helped to reprioritize infrastructure needs, reducing capital cost needs by more than $1 million. Allen Kibler, president of MACTEC Engineering and Consulting Inc., made the announcement.
The environmental services projects were done on Shemya Island in the Aleutians, about 1,450 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. Once an active USAF base, the island is now home to Eareckson Air Station, which serves as a support station for emergency and weather-diverted aircraft. About 125 people live on the island.
According to MACTEC Alaska Office Manager Sean P. Thomas, the company conducted an extensive evaluation of the air station’s water treatment system, consisting of a pretreatment storage area receiving water from an infiltration gallery and water stored in two 300,000-gal tanks and one 400-gal tank. This included a site visit; reviewing existing reports, plans and data; ensuring compliance with existing/proposed regulations; system improvement recommendations; and cost estimates for implementation planning. Other tasks included data collection and analysis.
Thomas added that as a result of MACTEC’s experience at Eareckson Air Station and expertise in water/wastewater engineering, the company was recently awarded follow-on tasks to investigate the infiltration and inflow of water island-wide and complete the conceptual design, plans and specifications for a new wastewater conveyance system.
Source: MACTEC Inc.
