Washington, DC – The U.S. Department of Energy honored the Fort Irwin Water Works Project with the 2018 Federal Energy and Water Management Award, in a ceremony at the Institute of Peace on Oct. 2.
The Federal Energy and Water Management Awards recognize individuals, groups and agencies for their outstanding contributions in the areas of energy efficiency, water conservation, and the use of advanced and renewable energy technologies at federal facilities
Nine government organizations were recognized for projects that reduced emergency costs, conserved water or improved efficiencies.
The Fort Irwin Department of Public Works, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, designed a new $101 million water treatment plant that reduced waste and significantly conserved water resources, reducing annual fresh water usage in fiscal year 2017 by 19 million gallons and waste water treatment by 27.1 million gallons, while also improving water quality.
The Fort Irwin Water Works (IWW) plant can treat 6 million gallons of water per day and remove contaminants naturally found in Fort Irwin’s ground water.
The plant’s primary treatment process is an electro-dialysis reversal system, enhanced by other processes to increase the amount of water recovered during the treatment process. After flowing through the EDR system, water is further processed to reach a total recovery rate of 99 percent or better of all water received by the plant for processing.
The “waste” water containing unwanted chemicals and suspended solids, more like a paste than a liquid, can then be easily captured for removal and environmentally approved disposal.
As well as being environmentally friendly and having state-of-the-art energy efficiency, IWW is designed to achieve Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.
Irwin Water Works is one of the Army’s most efficient water treatment facilities and demonstrates the U.S. Army and Fort Irwin’s dedication to preserving the environment while still performing its mission as the premier training center in the United States Army.
Located in the vast Mojave Desert, the National Training Center at Fort Irwin faces a unique array of challenges.
Desert wildlife, endangered species and historical sites must all be protected and preserved, while still allowing for the Army to provide world class training to Soldiers headed into battle.
Established as a temporary training location in 1941, the desert outpost has survived and thrived for the last 77 years.