Hill wins Air Force environmental award

HILL AIR FORCE BASE — For the third year in a row, Hill Air Force Base's environmental program has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense for its work.

It's the second time the base's restoration work has garnered the top honor.

Hundreds of military bases have restoration activities under way because of pollution they generate.

In the case of Hill Air Force Base, restoration work has been ongoing since 1990. It will take at least 65 years before contaminated groundwater can be removed from communities surrounding the base.

The groundwater, which isn't part of any municipal water systems, was contaminated during the base's early days from the 1930s to 1970s.

Other contamination from electrical transformers has polluted some of the soil on the base, as well.

And the 75th Air Base Wing's civil engineering group, which is in charge of restoring the soil and water, has been recognized as a leader for its restoration efforts, says Mark Loucks, chief of the base's environmental restoration branch.

The award, which Loucks will pick up in June, gives him a chance to brag about his staff, who he says has the expertise and innovation to lead the U.S. military when it comes to restoration.

"The staff is, bar none, technically better, harder working," Loucks said. "They have a lot of foresight and understand problems before they become problems."

His staff was on the forefront of vapor intrusion, which happens when some of the pollutants in groundwater evaporate through soil and into homes. Loucks' team has found ways to identify when pollutants are entering a home from groundwater rather than from products that may be in a home.

"Universities and research groups recognize the talent that we have here," Loucks said, adding that those groups ask to try new technologies at Hill.

"A lot of other bases try to find out what we're doing," he said. "We're happy to lend out our expertise. We want good things to be happening throughout the Air Force."

It's not all roses, though, Loucks said, because his team has plenty of challenges.

Right now, they're trying to determine the best way to get an iron barrier buried in Roy to react better with pollutants in the groundwater.

"Some things we don't have answers for," he said. "Get the right people looking at the right things, and good things happen."

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