GRUENSTADT, Germany - An army of small blue plastic bottles stand at attention like tiny Soldiers, each perfectly erect and awaiting its turn to be washed and filled with one of the oldest substances known to man.
This plastic bottle procession is all a part of daily operations at the Culligan water plant in Gruenstadt. The facility, located on the Exchange Depot, opened in 1996.
It is responsible for purifying and packaging drinking water for the service members, Department of Defense civilians and families living and working in Europe.
At least 100,000 liters of water are filtered here each day from special wells in the city of Gruenstadt, according to Sabine M. Adair, beverage plant manager.
Once the water reaches the plant it is filtered to remove sand, gravel and any other impurities before taking a trip through water softening units and enduring another round of filtration.
Afterwards, calcium, magnesium and potassium are added for taste and ozone, a derivative of oxygen is used to oxidize inorganic, heavy metals and nitrates and any remaining impurities Computerized machines help wash and sanitize each bottle before it is filled, capped, labeled, packaged and coded for distribution.
In another section of the plant, workers use computerized machines to make ice cubes from gallons of the filtered Culligan water.
After production both products have a shelf life of one year. "We are here to supply all the American Soldiers and families with a safe product," Adair said. "That\'s so important to us. When they open a bottle we want them to enjoy it and to know that it is safe. We are proud to do be able to this and we are proud that we are doing it right here in Gruenstadt."
Culligan water and ice is shipped to homes, food facilities, filling stations, shoppettes and commissaries across Europe.
The water treatment plant operates from 6 a.m.-3:45 p.m. each day.
Afterwards a cleaning and maintenance crew works until midnight to prepare the plant for the next day's operations.
The facility also undergoes daily and annual inspections to ensure the plant and the final product, meet German and American safety regulations, to include those set by the Food and Drug Administration and the International Bottled Water Association.
The Culligan Water plant produces three types of water: drinking water in 1 gallon, 3.35 gallon, 5 gallon, 0.5 liter, 1.0 liter and 1.5 liter sizes; fluoridated water is available in 1 gallon, 5 gallon and 250 milliliter sizes, and purified is available in a 1 gallon size.
There is also a smaller Culligan water treatment plant in Vicenza, Italy.
The Gruenstadt plant is located on the Exchange depot (formally known as the Army and Air Force Exchange) in Gruenstadt near Autobahn six between Mannheim and Kaiserslautern, Germany.
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