YORKTOWN — The award-winning Environmental Department at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown’s Cheatham Annex garnered another prestigious accolade on Tuesday, July 30 at the Hampton Roads Sanitation District’s 31st Annual Awards Ceremony Luncheon in Downtown Norfolk.
During the event, Cheatham Annex (CAX) was awarded a Diamond Excellence Award for the installation’s perfect compliance in the areas of wastewater pre-treatment and pollution prevention. On hand to accept the award was Captain Dan Patrick, the installation’s Commanding Officer; Commander Douglass Farrar, the installation’s Public Works Officer along with Mechanical Engineer James Michener and Utility Service Operator Shane Mathis.
Cheatham Annex has maintained a perfect compliance record pursuant to the Hampton Roads Sanitation Districts guidelines since 2003. The installation’s 21 years of continuous perfect compliance in the areas of wastewater pre-treatment and pollution prevention is the longest record of any U.S. Navy installation within the Hampton Roads, Virginia area. Naval Weapons Station Yorktown garnered a Platinum award during the same awards ceremony. Platinum awards are presented to organizations that show at least five years of perfect wastewater compliance.
To be considered for any award, organizations must treat their industrial waste water before it is discharged into the HRSD’s system. This helps to protect the region’s waterways and natural resources. According to HRSD, for Calendar Year 2023 a total of 105 pretreatment excellence and 3 pollution prevention awards were earned by various organizations within the area. The HRSD Commission endorses the pretreatment excellence award program through funds received from civil penalties.
“The Pretreatment Excellence award recognizes perfect compliance with all HRSD Permit requirements and limitations. They are a testament to the dedication that Navy staff puts forward in protecting the environment and public health,” said Mike Martin, HRSD’s Director of Pretreatment & Pollution Prevention. “This dedication helps HRSD to treat wastewater and recover natural resources to ensure our communities will have clean waterways and reliable water resources for generations to come,” said Martin.
Earlier this year, Cheatham Annex was selected as a recipient for the Platinum Level Award for Environmental Excellence by the (VWEA) for Calendar Year 2023 in the category of Industrial Waste and Pretreatment Environmental Excellence. That award was presented during the VWEA’s annual conference on March 4, 2024 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. This is the first such award for any Navy installation in the Hampton Roads District awarded by the VWEA. On-hand to accept that prestigious award was Jeff Kissler, NWS Yorktown’s Environmental Director and Jason Oliver, the installation’s Wastewater Program Manager.
