Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) public works professionals began celebrating National Public Works Week, May 15.

National Public Works Week, which runs through May 21 this year, started in 1960 as part of a public education campaign by the American Public Works Association.

The weeklong event seeks to raise the public's awareness of public works issues and employees who are dedicated to improving the quality of life for present and future generations. This year's theme is "Public Works Always There."

"Our public works teams represent NAVFAC's local installation support to Navy and Marine Corps bases worldwide," said NAVFAC Commander Rear Adm. Bret Muilenburg. "Our teams work behind the scenes in providing vital public works services such as electricity, water and wastewater management in support of the installations they serve."

NAVFAC has provided management and leadership of Navy public works for more than 170 years. As the Navy's public works officers, Civil Engineer Corps officers lead Navy and Marine Corps public works departments around the globe in providing comprehensive shore installation facility engineering, acquisition, environmental and transportation services.
In fact, last year, NAVFAC PWDs helped keep naval facilities and infrastructure around the world well-maintained and managed, as more than 533,000 service calls and 63,000 emergency calls were recorded and completed in 2015.

NAVFAC's public works professionals can be seen on base hard at work inspecting submarine piers, constructing new runways, fixing roof leaks, heating buildings in the winter, or cleaning up oil spills. They are also at the forefront of executing cutting-edge energy projects for the Navy to help meet the Secretary of the Navy's energy goals. Advanced metering, renewable energy, and residential energy conservation projects are helping to reduce the demand for energy, on and off base.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Facilities Engineering Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/.