156 CRG Conducts Water Testing for SSTK22

Photo By Sgt. Taylor Cleveland | U.S. Air Force Maj. Abraham Medina-Vega, a bioenvironmental engineer officer assigned to the 156th Contingency Response Group, Puerto Rico Air National Guard, collects a sample of water to test at Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center, Gulfport, Mississippi, April 21, 2022. Medina-Vega was testing the water as a part of the public health team during Southern Strike 2022, which is a large-scale, joint and international combat exercise, which features counter insurgency, close air support, non-combatant evacuations, and maritime special operations. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Taylor Cleveland)  

GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI, UNITED STATES

04.21.2022

Story by Sgt. Taylor Cleveland 

102d Public Affairs Detachment

GULFPORT, Miss. - The military has always placed emphasis on environmental care and taking precautions to reduce unsanitary conditions.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Abraham Medina-Vega, a bioenvironmental engineer officer assigned to the 156th Contingency Response Group, Puerto Rico Air National Guard, tested water for public health at Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center, Gulfport, Mississippi, April 21, 2022.

“We are looking for free chlorine. Free chlorine is the chlorine that is floating in the water and when you open the faucet, you want to have a certain amount of chlorine to be sure that it kills every biological contamination,” Medina-Vega said.

Bioenvironmental Engineers anticipate, recognize, and evaluate occupational and environmental health hazards in training and deployment environments.

“In order to do that, we have to have at least 0.2 percent of chlorine for potable water. 0.00 percent means no chlorine in the water but that doesn’t mean that the water is contaminated; it means that it is more prone to be contaminated,” he said. “If something formed in the pipe system, any bacteria, it would have room to grow because there is nothing that is fighting that. That’s a concern.”

The logistics of the fight are usually what people think about, not knowing there are smaller, harmful forces that could be at play.

“Besides bullets and security there are other aspects invisible to the human eye such as viruses, and chemicals,” Medina said. “There’s also water quality and extreme temperatures to consider so we may take care of these threats that may affect our forces.”

Medina-Vega was testing the water as a part of the public health team during Southern Strike 2022, which is a large-scale, joint and international combat exercise, which features counter insurgency, close air support, non-combatant evacuations, and maritime special operations.

• Date Taken: 04.21.2022
• Date Posted: 05.01.2022 11:34
• Story ID: 418989
• Location: GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI, US
• Hometown: CAROLINA, PR