FORT JACKSON, SC -- Record rainfall and flooding in the greater Columbia, SC area over the weekend of October 3 left Fort Jackson and Moncrief closed to everyone but essential personnel for the better part of a week. Even after the post reopened, several area dam breaks and damage to municipal water treatment facilities left the installation without a potable water source. Fortunately, a Preventative Medicine, Public Health, and Environmental Health team of Soldiers and civilians from Moncrief as well as from Fort Jackson, Fort Bragg, and Fort Stewart were able to provide a solution: the Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit (ROWPU).
The ROWPU takes in raw water, and runs it through a series of filters to remove impurities before being forced through a high pressure membrane which strips out any remaining impurities on a molecular level. Finally, chlorine is added to kill any remaining bacteria leaving the water as pristine as anything that can be bought in a store.
"Bottled water is purified using ROWPU," said SSG Theodore Cieraszynski, Moncrief Preventative Medicine NCOIC. "What we have is no different."
After the water is filtered through the ROWPU, a bacterial analysis is conducted to verify the potability of the water. It is then distributed throughout the installation in "Water Buffalos" (water tanks mounted on trailers) and "Hippos" (barrel-shaped containers). So far, over 81,000 gallons of water have been purified.
"We have enough purified water to facilitate a small city for approximately two weeks," Cieraszynski said.
As of October 15, normal water services have been restored to Columbia, SC. However, testing is continuing on Fort Jackson to verify the safety of the tap water so the ROWPU remains in operation, producing approximately 10,000 gallons of purified water a day. Meanwhile, Moncrief's Preventative Medicine, Environmental Health, and Public Health are continuing to help Fort Jackson return to normal operations.
"We've been really busy, but it's going well," Cieraszynski said. "Overall, we've managed to avoid disease and non battle injuries (stomach bugs, infections, etc.) during this time. Aside from the odd case, we have had no instances to cause concern, which is a testament to the efforts of our team."
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