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Pilots, pararescuemen, aircraft gunners and aircraft maintainers: These careers are what come to mind when most think about the Air Force. However, behind the scenes, the Air Force is made up of many different essential roles that keep operations fluid.
One such example is Staff Sgt. Thomas Gordon, a water and fuel systems maintenance specialist with the 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron. He is the first Airman to work at the Hurlburt Field Advanced Water Treatment Plant at Hurlburt Field, Florida, since 2002.
Gordon must ensure meters are accurate, take water samples and make adjustments as needed to ensure the plant operates correctly. He is still training at the plant, but once licensed he will have a valuable new skillset.
“It’s good to have that knowledge of wastewater treatment under your belt,” said Master Sgt. Craig Cooper, the NCO in charge of water fuel systems maintenance with the 1st SOCES. “There have been some locations downrange where we had to build wastewater treatments from the ground up.”
Every drain on Hurlburt Field leads to the water treatment plant, where the water is treated with bacteria and aeration to meet secondary drinking water standards.
“It’s all clean water coming out of here,” said Gordon. “With a small amount of treatment you could turn this [treated water] back into drinking water.”
While some might not enjoy dealing with wastewater, Gordon has his own take on the job.
“It’s pretty neat to take that dirty, nasty, smelly water, and turn it into crystal-clear, clean water at the end,” said Gordon.
The outgoing water is reused for general services such as heating and cooling buildings, aircraft hangar wash racks and irrigation around base.
“Potable water has become a commodity,” said John Stefanik, the Hurlburt Field Advanced Water Treatment Plant supervisor. “The more water we draw out of [the wells], the greater chance we get of saltwater intrusion.”
Using the treated water for general services allows Hurlburt Field to save money on well water and lessen the load on local wells.
“[Before the plant] in the summertime, we would go anywhere from 750,000 to 800,000 [gallons of well water],” said Alan Cox, the water fuel systems maintenance foreman with the 1st SOCES. “Right now we’re standing around 500,000 maybe 600,000 [gallons] a day.”
While the water coming out is a useful resource to the base, Cooper has a positive view on the water going in.
“Your number two business is our number one job,” said Cooper.
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.24.2018 16:46 |
| Story ID: | 290052 |
| Location: | FORT WALTON BEACH, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 1st SOCES Airman trains on water treatment, by SSgt Caleb Pavao, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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