U.S. Agencies Recognize Portsmouth Team for Climate Science Contributions

PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — National weather agencies recently recognized workers at EM's Portsmouth Site for their contributions to climate science.

The Portsmouth team was recently awarded certificates of appreciation from the National Weather Service (NWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Department of Commerce for their contributions to NOAA’s mission. Personnel at Portsmouth have provided data to NWS, a division of NOAA.

NOAA’s mission in part is to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, ocean, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources.

“The observations you provide serve as an integral part of the climate history of the United States,” NWS Meteorologist Thomas Johnstone said in the letter of appreciation to Portsmouth. “Thank you for your dedication and faithful service over so many years.”

For the past 35 years, Portsmouth crews have collected data on river water levels and rainfall measurements from the site’s X-608 Well Field seven days a week.

“Our responsibilities include collecting data, keeping accurate records, as well as being good stewards,” Portsmouth Site Lead Jeremy Davis said. “We’re proud our employees make a difference beyond the Portsmouth Site.”

Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth (FBP) Infrastructure and Site Maintenance Project Support Manager Wendell Jenkins leads the team to support this effort. Although the certificates of appreciation bear his name, Jenkins says the work is a team effort. FBP is EM's decontamination and decommissioning contractor for Portsmouth.

“Each day we log and enter the data into a spreadsheet, and then send in the results,” Jenkins said. “With the presented data, NOAA tracks and trends information to predict flood stages and report historical values. It truly is a collective success.”

-Contributor: Michelle Teeters