Bioenvironmental: Not taking water for granted

Published Nov. 1, 2013
By Master Sgt. David Miller
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Taking a shower and getting ready for work, drinking a couple of bottles of water after a run, hand washing prior to a meal, or swimming laps at one of the pools are some of the daily activities for members assigned here. These events are all made possible by the hard working Airmen assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group bioenvironmental engineering element.

It is no small task for this organization to test the local water entering base before it is distributed to the cadillacs, dining facilities, pools, rooms and various locations around base with running water. They are entrusted with validating this water meets standards and is safe for intended use. The bottled water is safe for consumption. The distribution system is cleared for incidental use such as brushing teeth or showering.

"The base receives water from a local source then stores it at various locations that supply water to each area here," said Senior Airman Dustyn White, the 379th EMDG bioenvironmental engineering environmental quality program manager deployed from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., and a Porterville, Calif., native. "Bacteriological tests are done weekly to determine all water coming into base meets standards."

Four sites are tested weekly with 10 sites tested monthly and 3 additional sites tested quarterly. "Twenty hours a month are dedicated to collecting water samples for testing," said White. "Additionally, each test takes 24 hours to complete."

If water tested positive for bacteria or didn't meet standards, it could cause serious illness and reduce work output.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the presence of contaminants in water can lead to adverse health effects, including gastrointestinal illness, reproductive problems and neurological disorders.

With daily water shipments supporting the men and women assigned here, and more than 1.3 million bottles of water cleared for consumption monthly, any tainted water would have an immediate impact on meeting mission requirements.

Attention to detail is vital to ensure there is no threat of contaminants prior to releasing the water to the base.

"Random bottles from every production date are pulled and brought back for testing," White said.

The water samples are mixed with Colilert®, a testing agent that detects coliforms and E. coli simultaneously in 24 hours or less, and are placed into an incubation chamber where heat is applied to further cultivate potential growth of bacteria.

"Senior Airman White is steadfastly executing his job so the 8,500 coalition and joint forces do not have to be concerned about the quality of the most important non-living resource on this base," said Lt. Col. Tiffany Morgan, the 379th EMDG bioenvironmental engineering element chief deployed from Edwards AFB, Calif., and a Owego, N.Y., native.
Many of the members assigned here enjoy one of two pools. These pools provide rest, relaxation and exercise for those who enjoy them.

Recreation water illnesses include a wide variety of infections including gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic and wound infections. According to the CDC, in the past two decades, there has been a substantial increase in the number of RWI outbreaks associated with swimming.

"The lifeguards test the pool water hourly to maintain proper pH levels, but if they need us to provide assistance we are available," said White.

"White's efforts are critical to validating the chemical standards of the Outside the Continental United States version of the Environmental Protection Agency standards: Overseas Environmental Baseline Guidance Document," said Morgan. "Our part complements Civil Engineering's role in providing safe water."

Safe water provides everyone the capacity to execute the mission.

With the ability to take a shower anytime of the day or night, go for a swim or grab a bottle of water when thirsty, many people take water for granted. An individual is able to take these things for granted is because of the hard working Airmen assigned to the 379th EMDG bioenvironmental engineering element.