Feel free to drink from the water fountains on base, because Naval Air Station Whiting Field has once again won the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Northwest District Plant Operations Excellence Award. This is the fourth consecutive year that NASWF has taken home the prize, which recognizes the hard work of the Public Works Department’s water management team.
The competition involves more than just clean and safe water. Criteria to be eligible for the award included outstanding operation/maintenance practices, staff and safety training, and good customer relations.
NAS Whiting Field competed against facilities in Northwest Florida in the small community category (facilities that serve less than 3,300 people), and the installation had to maintain exceptional operations in all areas to earn the award.
“To win this award you have to go above and beyond the requirements set forth to us and some of the ways we did this was through our new Bacteriological Sampling Plan, Earth Day Event at Bagdad Elementary School, and earning the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for water reduction in the JPATS OPS Paraloft facility,” said Jon Croci, Drinking Water Manager of NAS Whiting Field.
NAS Whiting Field achieved the award for a fourth time through their implementation of new designs that aided in water reduction. Upgrading the infrastructure to further the efficiency of water delivery and wells was a big focus this year. NAS Whiting Field’s emphasis on designing energy and water efficient buildings in house will help decrease cost and further adds an emphasis on use of water reductive technologies and methodologies in the design phase.
“Winning this award is amazing and really reflects the hard work our water operators and entire staff across the board have put in to reduce water usage around the base,” Croci stated.
The NAS Whiting Field team is due to receive the award Feb. 23 in Panama City.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Water Quality Team at NAS Whiting Field Earns FDEP Award