Being a good environmental steward is everyone’s responsibility.
As a member of the Fort Detrick community, everyone is responsible for performing in an environmentally safe and sound manner by knowing how your job impacts the environment, adhering to operating procedures, knowing the potential environmental impacts of departing from these operating procedures, and by knowing the environmental legal and other requirements of your job.
Fort Detrick has established an illicit discharge detection and elimination program to identify and eliminate non-stormwater discharges. An illicit discharge is any discharge that is not composed entirely of stormwater or not otherwise allowed.
The purpose of the program is to determine the types and sources of illicit discharges that could enter the storm drains and effectively eliminate them. Fort Detrick maintains stormwater related permits that allow for specific non-stormwater discharges. Non-stormwater discharges that are allowed include discharges from drinking water distribution system maintenance and fire safety flow testing activities. If you observe water continuously flowing in a storm drain or drainage ditch when it hasn’t rained then there is the possibility that it is an illicit discharge.
Examples of illicit discharges:
vehicle washing in non-designated areas
vehicle fluid leaks and spills
sanitary sewer overflows
discharges from industrial facility maintenance
construction site dewatering
improper waste disposal
Anyone who witnesses or knows about illicit discharges or improper waste disposal activities has the responsibility to report the incident. Illicit discharges are not only bad for the environment, they are also against the law.
A Fort Detrick environmental hotline, (301) 619-0044, has been established to allow the installation community to contact the Environmental Management office with emergencies or general environmental concerns. Any petroleum, toxic or hazardous substance spill must be reported to the Fort Detrick Fire Department by dialing ‘‘911.” All minor spills that do not have an immediate impact to the environment must be reported by dialing (301) 619-7114⁄0044.
It is everyone’s responsibility at Fort Detrick to ensure that illicit discharges from job-related or recreational activities are minimized so that contaminants are not released to the storm drains that have the potential to negatively impact receiving waterways.
If you have any questions about the Fort Detrick illicit discharge detection and elimination program, please call (301) 619-3136.
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