Photo By Neal Uranga | Air Force Col. Tad “Wolf” Clark, 8th Fighter Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt....... read more read more
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea – Members of the 8th Civil Engineering Squadron passed a major milestone when they completed an overhaul of the water treatment facility on Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Feb. 18, 2020.
The renovation of the 1.2 million gallon facility began in May 2019 and continued until its water production was approved for consumption by bioenvironmental engineering officials.
“Only a few bases in the Air Force have a water treatment plant, so it’s very new and interesting for us here,” said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Felix Nguyen, 8th Civil Engineering Squadron non-commissioned officer in charge of the water treatment facility. “We had a huge overhaul and now that the water treatment plant is back online it is a new process to use and learn.”
Previously, the base relied on the local Okgu Reservoir for its daily water needs. The intake from the reservoir required additional treatment, often resulting in a chlorinated smell that was not appealing.
“Going from city water to the plant water, the biggest difference people will notice is the taste and the smell. It won’t have so much chlorine- which is what you taste and smell,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Matt Rothe, 8th Civil Engineering Squadron water and fuels system journeyman. “However it is good that we know we can rely on the reservoir if our system goes down.”
The water storage tanks within the facility are capable of storing 1 million gallons of potable water for base use and can process and filter up to 1.2 million gallons of water daily. Nguyen also noted that by producing its own water, the base can save the Air Force $1 million per year.
Water independence from local sources also has an added benefit. Air Force Col. Tad Clark, 8th Fighter Wing commander, noted during his visit to the water treatment facility that its capability would make it harder for an adversary to tamper with Kunsan’s water sources.
The wing commander went to the facility to show his support for the Civil Engineering airmen who worked to bring the water treatment facility back online. “We’re all very proud of what the Red Devils [CE airmen] have accomplished here,” Clark said.
Clark finished his visit by drinking water from one of the base’s water storage tanks.
| Date Taken: | 02.18.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2020 22:53 |
| Story ID: | 363455 |
| Location: | KR |
| Web Views: | 130 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Kunsan Refurbishes Water Treatment Plant, by Neal Uranga, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
