Vehicle and boat maintenance in Barksdale housing and dorms

  • Published
  • By Kate Hasapes
  • 2nd Civil Engineering Squadron
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, Louisiana --  

Spring is in the air!  As the weather warms up and you are itching to do more outdoor activities, you may have to do some maintenance on your car, boat, atv, or other recreational vehicle before heading out into the wilds.  While it is best to do these maintenance activities at the Auto Hobby Shop on Barksdale, vehicles and boats are often seen in housing and the dorm parking lots in various stages of work. 

 

What is often not considered while working on your vehicle is the potential impact to the environment and violation of Barksdale’s Environmental Permits.  Frequently seen issues that can lead to permit violations include spilled materials, open containers of oils and other fluids, materials and used containers left in the parking lots, and tires left next to dumpsters.  When a material is spilled and not cleaned up, there is potential for it to enter a storm drain or grass.  Containers left open in parking lots can tip over and spill or fill with rainwater during a storm and overflow.  Why is this important?  A single drop of oil in a storm drain or bayou must be reported to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality in 24 hours!  Any petroleum, oil, or lubricants spilled into our waterways is a violation of Barksdale’s storm water permits and could lead to fines.

 Leaving items such as tires next to dumpsters is considered ‘dumping’ and not only is it unsightly, but getting caught dumping on Barksdale can lead to disciplinary actions at the base level, such as loss of base privileges, and fines at the state level.

 

So what are you supposed to do when fixing and maintaining your cars and recreational vehicles?

 

Per the 2d BW Unaccompanied Housing brochure, “repairs of vehicles are not authorized in the dormitory areas or parking lots.  Vehicle work shall be done in the Auto Hobby Shop at (318) 456-4695.  Authorized minor work consist of changing a flat tire and jump-starting a vehicle.  Residents may clean and wax vehicles in the dormitory parking lot; however, no cleaning/washing of vehicles will be done on sidewalks, grass, or seeded areas”. 

 

If you live in Barksdale Family Housing, it is strongly encouraged to use the Auto Hobby Shop to do your maintenance activities.  However, if you chose to do these activities at your base residence, here are some resources for disposing of materials.

 

  • The Central Accumulation Point (CAP) will accept unused materials (oil, cleaners, fluids, etc.) for the household reuse program and lead acid batteries for recycling (456-8580, 975 Davis Ave East).
  • The Auto Hobby Shop will accept used oil and lead acid batteries for recycling (456-4695, 400 Rickenbacker Ave).
  • The Recycling Processing Area will accept lead acid batteries, broken metal parts, exhaust pipes, and other scrap metals on Tuesday and Wednesday from 0800-1100, or call 456-5293 during other business hours (building 4967 next to the recycling center).
  • Tires can be taken to the Bossier City Municipal Solid Waste complex on Old Shed Rd.
  • Old batteries can be taken to any auto parts store off base.

 

If you have any questions regarding what you should do while getting your gear ready for the warm weather, contact CE Environmental (Kate Hasapes, 456-2770, stephanie.hasapes@us.af.mil) or CE Housing (Eric Ockstadt, 456-4703, eric.ockstadt@us.af.mil).  It takes the whole team to keep Barksdale clean (and in compliance)!