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380AEW Article

Prime BEEF works outside the box to complete vital base project

  • Published
  • By Maj. Khalid Cannon
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  After working on the project for nearly four months, the Airmen of the 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Squadron completed a sewage lift station, which will help maintain the base's infrastructure for years to come.

"When we started the project, it was just a giant hole in the ground 35 feet deep," said Air Force Capt. Amy Peabody, the 577 EPBS site officer-in-charge. "We were tasked to build the new structure, and it was an awesome opportunity for these guys to work on a very large project that they wouldn't normally get the opportunity to do."

Prime BEEF built the new lift station to allow sewage to more easily transfer off the base and into a civilian waste treatment facility.

The base's sewage system, which is operated by the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, will rely on the new lift station to alleviate frequent backups, according to Peabody.

The main structure of the new station consists of four layers of concrete wall panels that were stacked on top of each other to form one large box.

The sewage runs from the main compound of the base by gravity, and flows into the bottom of the lift station.

From there, three pumps lift the waste up and out into another pipe located just below the ground, which carry the sewage to the next lift station.

Prime BEEF constructed each layer using a 200-ton crane, rented by the 380 ECES, to precisely stack each panel that weighed up to 30,000 pounds.

While lowering each panel into position, the contracted crane operator relied on the guidance of Air Force Tech. Sgt. Garett Gentry, 380 ECES pavement and equipment shop noncommissioned officer-in-charge and a native of Candler, N.C., who communicated through the use of hand signals.

"We worked closely with the contractor who didn't speak any English," said Gentry. "For 30 consecutive days we overcame a language barrier by using the international crane signals. The operator was very precise, accurate and did exactly what we asked him to do."

Peabody described how the project will impact the base.

"The lift station will be able to handle an increased flow output, thus increasing the base's capabilities and taking a lot of the current maintenance burdens off the civil engineer squadron," said Peabody, who is a native of Lafayette, Ind.

The project's difficulty was compounded by the area's high water table, which caused ground water to constantly fill the work site and required the Airmen to work in knee-deep mud after pumping the water out twice each day.

"I'm very proud because this is the biggest project I've ever been a part of," said Air Force Senior Airman Brendon Luke, a heavy equipment operator and native of Kansas City, Mo. "We backfilled 10,000 tons of dirt and there were a lot of twists and turns throughout the build."

The new station will be connected to another lift station by contractors at a later date.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Gary Vergara, the project leader and a Chicago native, detailed how the project was outside of his typical responsibilities.

"My specialty is heating, ventilation and air conditioning, so this project was a big challenge," said Vergara. "We normally do smaller repair projects and minor construction."

"We started out by looking at the prints, we had weekly meetings and got ideas from everyone on the team," said Vergara. "We also received a lot of support from RED HORSE and the civil engineer squadron in the form of equipment and personnel, which helped make this project a success."