U.S. Navy photo by Walt Legg is NSF Dahlgren's new environmental manager.

As he steers the facility’s many environmental issues and compliance, Legg’s job will seemingly be as varied as his career background—a background that has included a stint in the U.S. Peace Corps, a position with the Chemical Weapons Disposal facility at the Army’s Pine Bluff Arsenal, as well as the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s former Dahlgren Division sister site at White Oak, Md., where Legg was coordinating the environmental restoration after the facility closed under BRAC.

“One of the main tasks in the new job is ensuring that we stay in environmental compliance while supporting the missions of our tenants and the future of our facility,” Legg said. “NSF Dahlgren is home to many tenant commands with a variety of important missions, and we need to assure that those missions can be achieved while not hindering each other or adversely impacting human health or the environment.”

One of the environmental issues facing Dahlgren as a whole is shoreline erosion.

“Shoreline erosion is a very significant problem here,” he said. “The steady erosion of the shoreline has been exacerbated by the impact of major storms, such as Hurricane Isabel. We need to protect the shoreline not only because of the negative impact its erosion can cause to mission, by removing buffer space or even undermining infrastructure, but also for the protection of the Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay, which can suffer as a result of the eroded materials.” The Public Works Division is currently developing a major project to implement protection for Dahlgren’s shoreline.

The NSF Dahlgren Environmental Office is also involved in the early phases of all construction projects at Dahlgren in ensuring that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) dictates are fully complied with when planning begins. NEPA ensures that potential impacts to human health and the environment are considered in the early stages of project planning, avoiding potential pitfalls later in planning or implementation.

Legg stated that NSF Dahlgren has an excellent track record in this respect, providing the proper level of NEPA support for all projects. “I am thrilled to be joining a team that has demonstrated such a high level of professionalism and environmental compliance. We are working to assure that mission-critical timelines are met while operating within required environmental frameworks.”

Other major environmental program areas include tank management, water, wastewater, potentially hazardous materials and hazardous waste, cultural resources, installation restoration, natural resources and air quality (including any generators, boilers, etc).

Legg related that NSF Dahlgren is implementing a Comprehensive Work Approval Process (CWAP) that will facilitate and expedite project planning and implementation. CWAP will be the central clearing house for all projects on the facility, assuring that all potential issues are identified prior to project execution. CWAP utilizes both written records and a Geographic Information System (GIS) database to review project proposals. The GIS database contains many “layers” of information, such as building locations, roads, utility lines, wetland locations, sites of environmental significance, etc. The review identifies any potential issues, such as utilities, wetlands impacts, impacts to cultural or natural resources, etc, and provides the opportunity to identify mitigating measures for any issues identified. Legg stated, “CWAP will certainly help to streamline the development of projects at Dahlgren by identifying issues very early in the process, so that they can be addressed without negatively impacting schedule or mission.”

Legg stressed that all installation personnel should feel free to contact him at 653-5071 with any environmental issues that they identify or observe. “We have the opportunity to be the leading edge of Navy environmental compliance while maintaining the leading edge on mission. To do so, we need all facility personnel, tenant and host, to recognize that they are part of the team – it depends on you. With everyone’s support and dedication, we can be the leaders in mission and the leaders in environmental compliance.”

Legg is a 1986 graduate of Cornell University, a Virginia licensed engineer, and a native of Boston, Massachusetts. He has logged 14 years with the government. He met his wife, Carmen, while in the U.S. Peace Corps in Chile. They have four children: Martha, Mathias, Carolina and Sebastian (three currently in King George schools).