An Integrated Marine Environmental Compliance Program for Naval Shipyards: Final Phase I Report (December 1995)

Abstract : This report focuses on visits by the MESO staff to the five naval shipyards not slated for closure when the project began (Long Beach, Portsmouth, Puget Sound, Norfolk, and Pearl Harbor). The analysis contained in the report is based on questionnaires sent to the shipyards, in-person and telephone interviews with shipyard personnel, research of related environmental documents, information already on file at MESO, and site visits to the shipyards to view the processes, discharges, and other activities affecting the receiving waters. This report begins with the Summary Recommendations and Conclusions, which synthesize the recommendations MESO developed during Phase I. The Summary Recommendations are located at the beginning of the report to introduce and emphasize the importance of the recommendations before presenting supporting documentation. Many summary recommendations also span the boundaries among the environmental programs of the shipyards. Sections 1 through 3 introduce the background and objectives of the study, describe the methods used to gather and analyze the data, and outline the environmental setting at the five naval shipyards. Sections 4 through 8 describe the NPDES, Stormwater, Installation Restoration, Dredging, and other regulatory programs, respectively, at the shipyards. Finally, sections 9 and 10 provide a closer look at two critical support functions: (1) environmental data management, and (2) testing laboratories. These chapters present the near-and long-term recommendations specific to each regulatory program. As noted above, the Summary Recommendations provide a synopsis of the recommendations of this study. In general, MESO found that the shipyards are complying with existing regulatory requirements. They have made significant progress using best management practices to reduce the sources of pollution through workplace cleanliness and process controls, especially in their dry-docks.