Original Date: 02/23/1998
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Northrop Grumman’s Environmental Resources Department is responsible for soil and water quality. This group’s responsibilities include management of the facility’s water quality program elements including wastewater discharge control; inspections; equipment maintenance; water quality sampling and data management; permit reviews; facilities design reviews and coordination; and regulatory compliance reviews. Several process improvements have been implemented which significantly improved the company’s wastewater management, compliance, and cost.

Northrop Grumman’s Environmental Resources Department is responsible for soil and water quality. This group’s responsibilities include management of the facility’s water quality program elements including wastewater discharge control; inspections; equipment maintenance; water quality sampling and data management; permit reviews; facilities design reviews and coordination; and regulatory compliance reviews. Several process improvements have been implemented which significantly improved the company’s wastewater management, compliance, and cost.

Although wastewater discharges were compliant 90% of the time, a program was initiated to eliminate uncontrolled discharges of rinse water into the sewer system. Approximately 10% of the time, contaminants in the water exceeded allowable discharge limits (e.g., small amounts of chrome and/or low pH levels). A pre-treatment plant existed at a nearby Northrop Grumman site, but installation of an underground transfer line was neither cost effective nor feasible. Installation of a new pre-treatment plant for the remaining 10% would cost $500,000 plus significant recurring cost. Besides being cost ineffective, this idea would impact the production schedule. The solution was to collect wastewater in holding tanks where it could be tested before discharge. Most of the time, the water is acceptable for discharge into the sewer, and can be released by opening a valve. If necessary, pH levels can be adjusted in the holding tank before releasing the water. Any non-compliant water is drained from the tanks and taken to the nearby pre-treatment facility by truck. The reduction of capital cost from $500,000 to less than $100,000 to install control equipment and minimal recurring cost resulted in a significant savings and avoidance of inadvertent discharges and potential liability. Since implementation, wastewater discharge control has been 100% effective and no violations have occurred.

Another improvement resulted when Environmental Resources began getting involved in the early phases of new construction projects undertaken by the Facilities Department. Previously, Environmental Resources would request changes to meet regulatory requirements after the construction projects had been completed. This approach increased the cost of construction projects and jeopardized wastewater compliance status. The new process requires involvement and consultation with Environmental Resources during the planning stages of all construction projects. A wastewater specification sheet was developed for planners to identify wastewater design requirements. This improvement decreased the discrepancies found in the review and approval of design drawings; reduced changes to wastewater installations during field inspections; and lowered the cost of construction projects.

Northrop Grumman also operates clarifiers that remove sludge from wastewater and other liquids. Over a long period of time, sludge which collects in a clarifier’s holding tank can sometimes meet the definition of hazardous waste. Due to the local environmental authorities’ interpretation that clarifiers are actually containers holding hazardous waste, Northrop Grumman would need to clean its clarifiers every 90 days at a cost of $60,000 per year. This interpretation would significantly increase the costs and amount of hazardous waste at Northrop Grumman. To eliminate this problem, Environmental Resources implemented a procedure to sample the sludge every 90 days. If the sludge meets the definition of hazardous waste, then the clarifier is cleaned. If it does not meet the definition, no action is taken. As a result, cleaning the clarifiers is only required about every two years or more. The procedural change was successful in reducing over 90% of clarifier sludge disposal and corresponding cleaning costs.

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