Crew keeps base water clean

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Madelyn Brown
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  One of the first commands a new trainee becomes familiar with during basic military training is to frequently and abundantly intake water -- hydrate. That trainee will go on to discover that hydration is also a panacea for all conceivable illness.

Three molecules form the compound necessary for hydration, sanitation and health. Simply put, water is a necessity.

However, for many on Travis Air Force Base the water source from which their faucets pull from is an afterthought. For Roger Kasper, senior water treatment plant operator, the water on base has been his primary focus for the past 8 years.

"The water treatment plant on Travis sources water from the North Bay Aqueduct, which pulls water from the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, as well as Lake Berryessa, in Napa County," Kasper said.

Before a single drop is made publicly accessible, the water undergoes a stringent treatment of ozone, disinfection, coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation and post filtration before it is above the standard of drinking quality.

In the ozone stage, two generators use electricity to convert the O2 to O3, the same process used in nature by lightning. The extra oxygen molecule acts as an alternative to chlorine for pollution control in the water.

According to Kasper, to support the base populace of approximately 10,000 people, the on-base water treatment plant site has the capacity to disinfect and filter up to 7.5 million gallons of water per day.

"Safe drinking water is one of our most vital resources," said Tech. Sgt. Ronald Cruz, 60th Aeromedical Squadron Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight readiness and community health element NCO in charge. "Everyone uses water for domestic, industrial, medical and recreational needs."

This water supports more than laundry, dishes and bathwater for the Travis community. It helps clean aircraft, heat homes, treat patients at David Grant USAF Medical Center and care for children in the child development centers.

By the time the water reaches your drinking glass, it has been treated to be both potable and palatable. Safe drinking water prohibits mission stopping issues such as dehydration and water-borne illness.

"I want the public to know that the water quality on base is safe and being monitored every day," Cruz said. "We provide an annual report to our consumers to educate them on our water supplies. It  lists all the mandated sampling and contaminants and if we have exceeded a maximum contaminant level set by the state and federal law."

To date, Travis Air Force Base has not exceeded any MCLs. The next annual water report is scheduled to be made available to consumers in June 2015.