Guard Unit Trains to Purify
Water
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ - On Saturday
and Sunday, May 18 and 19, 2002, the Water Section of Company A, 50th Main
Support Battalion, New Jersey Army National Guard will be training on their
reverse osmosis water purification unit at the South Mountain Reservation
downstream from the Orange Reservoir-Diamond Mill Pond.
This water purification capability is one of the most
critical resources in the Guard inventory during Emergency Response following
floods, water main breaks, and tactical field training exercises.
Communities in Bound Brook / Manville were virtually left without any potable
drinking water following the flooding two years ago; a water main break
left residents in many sections Jersey City without drinking water; and
tactical field training environments rarely come with hot and cold running
water.
Members of Essex County Office of Emergency Management
and several other surrounding municipalities will observe the Guard members
as they train on Saturday. During the training the soldiers will
not be adding any purification chemicals to the water; they will only be
simulating the purification process by running untreated water through
their equipment. The unit’s purification system can produce up to
600 gallons of potable water an hour.
The Guard, always searching for innovative ways to train
their soldiers, traditionally has had some difficulty find suitable locations
for water purification training within local areas. The Unit welcomed
the opportunity to get “real world” training experience this close to home.
Company A, 50th Main Support Battalion is based at the
National Guard Armory in Teaneck, N.J.
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