| Environmental Division, DPW
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden

The DPW Sanitary Branch and Environmental Division, in conjunction with Public Health Command-Europe, ensure the USAG Wiesbaden community receives a continuous supply of safe drinking water that complies with German Final Governing Standards.
 
As part of an ongoing overall Army campaign, the Environmental Division completed their first five-year campaign (FY16-FY20) with 100% of all occupied housing areas tested. The Environmental Division is now in their second five-year campaign that began in FY21 and extends to FY25.

The Environmental Division also coordinates the testing of hot water for legionella bacteria at Garrison facilities that have showers.

• FY23 Drinking Water Consumer Confidence Report
• FY22 Drinking Water Consumer Confidence Report
• Lead testing information
• Legionella testing information

The purpose of the environmental review process is to evaluate, during the planning stages, the impacts of a proposed action or project on the environment to identify mitigation measures and alternative design ideas to reduce environmental impacts following a "predict-mitigate-implement"model.

USAG Wiesbaden oversees 16 locations in the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. These locations contain many types of habitats of high ecological importance, ranging from moist grasslands to dry sand dunes.Several rare, threatened and ecologically important species have been identified in these areas. Species surveys are regularly carried out at USAG Wiesbaden with the purpose of establishing inventories of indicator species groups that are used to assess the environmental quality of the areas. Due to their ecological importance, some training areas have been designated as Flora-Fauna Habitat conservation sites under the European Union Habitats Directive.

Invasive and alien species, which are species of plants and animals that are outside their natural distribution ranges, are also monitored and managed by the Environmental Division. These species compete for resources with native species and threaten their survival, and they can cause negative effects to the ecosystem balance.

Many parts of Clay Kaserne were built during the Third Reich; this is reflected in the monumental architectural style of the old Kaserne area. Some building ensembles and monuments are listed as protected cultural resources. A protected building on Clay Kaserne, often referred to as the “White House,” was constructed at the turn of the 20^th century and was the clubhouse of the former Wiesbaden race track.

In addition to protected buildings and structures, many pre-historic and Roman artifacts of archaeological importance have been discovered within USAG Wiesbaden installations. Discoveries are reported and coordinated with host nation representatives.

The Pollution Prevention Program continues to seek innovative opportunities to reduce USAG Wiesbaden's environmental footprint while supporting the Army mission. Project examples are substituting less toxic products, improving processes to reduce pollution and improve recycling. Ideas to reduce pollution or improve processes are welcome.

The Operation and Maintenance Division solid waste manager manages solid waste generated on USAG Wiesbaden. Recycling of solid waste is a German law. The Recycling Center located at Bldg. 2450 on Clay Kaserne provides recycling containers for almost all products and offers free turn-in and take-out of re-useable household items (see link for Trash and Recycling Guide). Hazardous substances and electronic waste should be turned into the Recycling Center and not disposed of in home refuse bins.

Recycling reduces overall refuse disposal fees allowing more funds for community quality of life improvements.

The energy manager seeks to eliminate energy waste and reduce energy consumption in existing facilities while monitoring energy usage,increasing energy efficiency in new or renovated constructions, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, generating energy, conserving water resources and improving energy security with a focus toward net zero. Per Executive Order 13834 “Efficient Federal Operations,” May 17, 2018, the U.S. Army is focusing efforts on Energy, Efficiency, Resiliency and Mission Readiness.

Environmental officers throughout the garrison are liaisons to the Environmental Division staff for maintaining compliance and coordinating environmental initiatives. EOs require online environmental awareness training and appointment orders from their supervisors. EOs' oversight and coordination are crucial at keeping their areas of responsibility in compliance with environmental laws and regulations. The Environmental Division manages the training,hosts regular meetings, and provides information about ongoing programs and initiatives to the garrison’s EOs.

Garrison activities that generate hazardous waste must properly manage and dispose of it.Examples of hazardous waste includes petroleum,oil and lubricants, batteries (dry cell, lithium, nickel-cadmium and mercury), waste fuel, oil filters and aerosol cans. Garrison activities that routinely generate hazardous waste place their waste in nearby hazardous waste accumulation points or should coordinate surplus hazardous waste disposal with the Hazardous Waste Storage Area, Clay Kaserne, Bldg. 1219. Residents need to turn in household hazardous waste to the Clay Kaserne Recycling Center in Bldg.2450.

The DPW Environmental and Operations and Maintenance Divisions follow an established Asbestos Management and Control Program designed to control known and unknown asbestos contaminated material that may be encountered during general facility operations and maintenance or renovation work. The primary objective of this program is to prevent all building users and workers from exposure to asbestos contaminated material.

The Army seeks to preserve the environment from damage. USAG Wiesbaden's Remediation Program cleans up contaminated soil and groundwater sites from past activities that caused pollution. The Remediation Program includes long-term ground water monitoring, and coordinates its activities with the host nation and the Army Environmental Command.

In conjunction with the Public Affairs Office, the Environmental Division coordinates the Noise Management Program and provides technical support on mitigating noise and tracking noise complaints. Report concerns about noise from USAG Wiesbaden activities to the Noise Hotline at (0611) 143-548-4076.

Earth Day

Every year Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 with environmental education talks to students about recycling and garbage management.

Newcomer’s In-brief

A weekly presentation to incoming personnel includes information on environmental topics such as solid waste management, recycling, and spill response among other topics.