Water quality at Altus AFB: Testing the waters

  • Published
  • By Airman Dylan Murakami
  • 97 Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

“The water is absolutely safe to drink. I can tell you that as the guy who takes the samples, sees the numbers and follows the science, my technicians drink the water, I drink the water, and my kids drink the water,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Austin Bennett, a bioenvironmental engineering flight commander assigned to the 97th Medical Operations Squadron.

 

Bioenvironmental engineering reduces health hazards in the workplace, the surrounding areas and monitors water quality on base.

 

Water quality is something that affects many people in many ways, so it is imperative that the water we use remains safe. In 2013, the water in Altus wasn’t meeting the Environmental Protection Agency’s by-product standards in the past, but the combined efforts of the base and city have improved quality, placing the water in good standing.

 

“From 2013 until early April 2017, both the City of Altus and Altus AFB were in violation of the EPA’s disinfectant by-product rule,” said Bennett.

 

Water quality can be tricky, because many problems can be solved by adding chlorine, but this produces by-products called trihalomethanes, or THMs, which can result in unsafe water.

 

“Due largely to the drought that started in 2011, the city’s water source, the Tom Steed Reservoir, dropped to dangerously low levels,” said Bennett. “To ensure the water was safe to drink, the city had to add more chlorine to the water, producing more THMs and breaking the EPA’s rules.”

 

Altus AFB and the City of Altus started working together to solve these problems in 2013.

 

“Altus AFB and the City of Altus created the Altus Water Task Force with a mission to improve the water quality and explore new water sources,” said Bennett. “Base and city personnel have worked together to ensure high water quality.”

 

The Altus Water Task Force decided to construct wells and revive an old method of treating water.

 

“The city brought the reverse osmosis treatment facility back online, which filters waters without the use of chlorine,” said Bennett. “Additionally, the city of Altus added seven wells located on the Round Timber Ranch in Texas as an additional water source, negating the organic matter concerns that are associated with surface water.”

 

The combination of these solutions meant Altus’ water would meet the EPA’s standards by the beginning of 2016 and after a year of sustained compliance, the violations were lifted.

 

“The blending of filtered and unfiltered Tom Steed water and well water have allowed the city to reduce the amount of disinfectant added to the water and in turn has been able to see a reduction in THMs,” said Bennett.

 

Now that the water is within standards, base personnel are working to ensure the quality is maintained.

 

“Continuing efforts include monthly water samples at various locations throughout the base,” said Capt. Bennett. “The bioenvironmental flight tests the water for bacteria, pH and chlorine as well as THMs.”

 

The monthly testing allows the bioenvironmental flight to identify any potential for issues and give that information to the city so it can be fixed before it becomes a problem.

 

Thanks to all the efforts, the base and city water is compliant with EPA standards and consumption presents no problems.

 

Although water quality has been an uphill battle, the base successfully rectified the water quality and put systems in place to ensure water remains safe for the base and city population. Safety of Airmen and families is important to Altus AFB.