Honored for 18 consecutive years of regulatory compliance with the Clean Water Act and impressive environmental programming, Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base has been named Industry of the Year in the city of Fort Worth’s annual Environmental Awards program.
The award was among several presented Wednesday during the 2020 Environmental Excellence Awards. The ceremony was broadcast on the City of Fort Worth, Fort Worth Water and Keep Fort Worth Beautiful Facebook pages.
The event video can still be watched on those pages, as well as Fort Worth Water and Fort Worth Code Compliance YouTube channels, the city said in a news release.
In all, 79 Fort Worth companies were honored for their compliance with wastewater regulations. These awards have been handed out since 1999. Another 24 companies in seven cities that contract with Fort Worth for industrial pretreatment services also earned recognition.
Fort Worth Water director Chris Harder congratulated the many companies celebrating more than a decade of environmental stewardship and compliance, particularly at a time when keeping ahead of environmental risks and regulations has become more stringent.
“Keeping current with these requirements can be challenging,” Harder said. “One goal of these awards is for you to get to know the individuals from other companies that are working alongside you and collaborate and exchange information that might be helpful to you and our industry in general.”
The Naval Air Station is an advocate of the Navy’s Pollution Prevention objectives for a clean, safe environment, including recycling and promoting responsible citizenship. The base has diverted 3,314 tons of landfill waste to recycling. The program resulted in 45 percent less solid waste generated at the base and $374,000 in economic benefit.
Innovation and Recognition honors that recognize companies advancing greater environmental awareness were awarded to six companies.
Innovation Awards went to The University of Health Science Center in Fort Worth for a community garden, land redevelopment category; Tarrant Regional Water District for its Rainscapes at its office campus, stormwater category; Novak Hair Studios for its zero waste facility, solid waste/recycling and water conservation categories, and, Molson Coors, water use and process improvement category.
Tarrant County College District received a Recognition Award as a SmartWater Conservation Partner for the ninth year. The Tarrant Regional Water District also received a Recognition Award for having a Fort Worth Friendly Landscape at its campus.
The city’s water utility and code compliance department sponsor the awards.