Restoring Mare Island Water Quality and the Local Economy
From a closed naval base to a working shipyard, ENS Resources implemented a strategy to deliver federal funding assistance to improve water quality infrastructure to support private investment.
The Problem
Mare Island, California, a former naval shipyard closed under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, needed critical wastewater infrastructure before redevelopment could move forward. The existing system could not meet current water quality requirements or support the redevelopment plan, and private investment was stalled until the island could handle its own wastewater.
What ENS Did
- ✓ Guided communication to Congress and federal agencies that the wastewater system had to be fixed to resolve existing water quality needs
- ✓ Tied the infrastructure request to the site's BRAC redevelopment status and its role as the sole remaining shipbuilding facility in Northern California
- ✓ Helped client to obtain congressional support to obtain federal funding for the wastewater infrastructure required to support redevelopment
- ✓ Positioned the federal investment as the catalyst needed to bring private sector capital into the public redevelopment program
- ✓ Assisted client as the lead point of contact between the client and congressional and agency staff through funding approval
The Result
Congress delivered direct federal grant funding for the critical wastewater infrastructure Mare Island needed. The funding fixed the water quality problem, gave the redevelopment program the infrastructure it needed, and signaled to private investors that the public foundation was in place — preserving Northern California's sole remaining shipbuilding facility.