Restoration develops electronic Information Repository

  • Published
  • By Renée Nelson
  • Environmental Community Relations Coordinator
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Over the past 10 years, the Department of Defense has invested more than $20 billion in environmental restoration, according to the most recent reports to Congress. The Air Force environmental restoration budget alone exceeds $500 million per year. 

Not only does this fiscal investment warrant public awareness, but also Air Force policy outlines the obligation to keep the public "fully informed of and involved in past, present and proposed actions that potentially could affect the environment" or public health. Members of the 3rd Civil Engineer Squadron Environmental Restoration Program continually work to surpass requirements in their efforts to improve community relations, increase public awareness and simplify the process for people to access program information. 

The primary source of public environmental records, the Information Repository, has undergone a significant technological advancement. It is now available on DVD. 

"We were looking for a way to organize the public records and simplify the process of researching environmental information," said Donna Baumler, environmental specialist, who coordinated the project. "This program benefits people with a casual interest in restoration programs as well as more serious researchers and contractors interested in mission growth." 

The Elmendorf Environmental Restoration Program staff recently released the first Information Repository Electronic Document Archive and User Interface. This innovative initiative provides a fully searchable resource to access documents, maps and other technical data previously available only in hardcopy or microfiche at the Alaska Resources and Library Information Services, commonly known as ARLIS. 

"We were getting a lot of requests for documents," said Ms. Baumler. "We were looking for a user-friendly, cost effective way to provide the information, understanding people's expectations that these documents would be available electronically." 

The Environmental Restoration Program provides for cleanup of the installation from past spills or releases that contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. Information Repository records date back to 1981 and include an estimated 180,000 pages of information. The electronic Information Repository interface allows users to search about 800 environmental restoration records by browsing using dropdown menus or performing key word searches. 

"The DVD is a great improvement over the hard copy Information Repository," said Melissa Markell, restoration project manager. "The user interface is simple and intuitive. Anyone can quickly link to information previously available only by reading hundreds of paper reports or microfiche records. It's a valuable resource for us and for the public." 

The Information Repository is located in ARLIS at the University of Alaska Anchorage Consortium Library on Providence Drive in Anchorage. It will include copies of the electronic Information Repository DVD for public use. 

Although this system is intended to replace the hard copy environmental records currently maintained at the library, documents not yet included in the electronic Information Repository will be available in hardcopy format at ARLIS until a new DVD is produced as part of the annual update. In addition, some documents, such as fact sheets, will remain available in hardcopy in the Information Repository for the convenience of its customers. 

"We understand that activities on military installations can impact the surrounding communities," said Joe Williamson, chief of the 3rd CES Environmental Restoration Element. "We value our partnerships with communities, state and federal agencies, and tribal governments. It is only with their help that we can reach our goals of increasing public awareness and involvement in our programs while addressing environmental concerns and reducing risks to human health and the environment."