Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2009 - (Page 43)

HELPING the TROOPS: Expeditionary Water Packaging System Graces Delta BY SGT. RJ GILBERT, 7TH SUSTAINMENT BRIGADE PUBLIC AFFAIRS This water storage tank, located on Forward Operating Base (FOB) Delta, Iraq, houses the water that is further purified and bottled by the Expeditionary Water Packaging System (EWPS). Though uncommon in Iraq, these units are relatively common in Afghanistan and serve to help reduce the number of water convoys, thereby mitigating water transportation costs and dangers that would otherwise be faced by water-carrying convoys. WITH A LARGE number of busy, thirsty troops in Iraq, it is not surprising that there is a great demand for vast amounts of fresh bottled drinking water to be shipped to bases across the face of the country. One such base, out of many, that requires bottled water to be shipped to it is Forward Operating Base (FOB), Delta. However, unlike many other bases in Iraq, FOB Delta is also testing grounds for the Expeditionary Water Packaging System (EWPS). According to an informational pamphlet produced by DRS Technologies (manufacturer of the EWPS), “The United States ships about one and a half million bottles of drinking water into the southwest Asia theater each day. With sources in Europe, the eastern Mediterranean and around the Gulf region, water is shipped hundreds, if not thousands of miles, usually by truck, to reach its ultimate destination. Transportation costs are a major part of the 190 million dollars the U.S. spent on this packaged water in one year. Some 60 percent of the available trucks in theater are dedicated to moving water, rather than other vital military supplies. And these trucks are subject to great risk and are frequently attacked by hostile forces in the region.” The EWPS is a unit designed to mitigate these issues by bottling fresh drinking water at its source. “In Iraq they have few bottling plants and it costs a lot to ship the water,” said Daniel P. Parent, electrician and acting EWPS supervisor at FOB Delta. “Shipping through convoys is dangerous and it’s expensive. So, the Army is considering having a bunch of smaller plants to cut down the shipping costs and mitigate dangers by reducing the number of water convoys.” With the 7th Sustainment Brigade (Sus. Bde.) being battle space owners of FOB Delta, they have been able not only to witness the EWPS’s introduction into the Iraqi theater of operations, but have also been able to assist those operating it in order to ensure the smoothest possible operation of the unit. “The main thing we do here is assist when situations arise that affect their (the EWPS) operations,” said Master Sgt. Christopher Cosby, 7th Sus. Bde. FOB Delta liaison ofﬁcer. “Like, if they have a problem and need something I send out a blast to try to ﬁ nd it, be it gloves, masks or parts to use until the items ordered can catch up to them.” The EWPS, located on FOB Delta, is a modular water packaging plant that packages water at its source. This EWPS at FOB Delta is hard at work providing premium bottled drinking water for coalition forces on base. The fourpacks of bottled water are palletized by workers at the EWPS at FOB Delta. First Quarter 2009 • 43

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2009

Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2009 Contents From the President Question & Answer: Water Conservation in the Home Avoiding the Humpty Dumpty Approach to Data Backup From the CEO What the Future Holds Asset Management for Small Communities Understanding Your Surface Water Source: The Rivers Hydraulic Models Expeditionary Water Packaging System Graces Delta The Rural Water Rally in April Training in Hawaii Regulatory Update Rural Water Releases Report on Water Infrastructure Projects and Economic Stimulus Legislation Throwing My Loop Advertisers.com Index to Advertisers

Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2009

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