WATER DOGS

That's the affectionate nickname of the guys who run the Army's water purifiers.

Heckuva mission...

The members of the 326th Quartermaster Detachment (Water Purification) are in a race.

They have to purify enough water to stay ahead of the amount used daily by about 15,000 soldiers at this logistical support area 40 miles north of Baghdad.

So far, they are winning.

“We can do 3,000 gallons an hour,” said Sgt. 1st Class Maria Hammer of the 326th.

That’s the output of one Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit, or ROWPU. The unit is one of 10 on base belonging to the 692nd Quartermaster Battalion, an Army Reserve unit out of New Castle, Pa. Each machine runs about 20 hours each day.

That’s a total of 600,000 gallons of water purified each day, enough — barely — to keep ahead of the base, which has a thirst for about 400,000 gallons each day...

The ROWPUs sit near the canal that runs alongside the sprawling, dusty base. In the canal is made up of water from the nearby Tigris River. The water is horrid, containing raw sewage from both animals and humans. However, the locals seem to pay no attention to their water’s condition.

“We’ll watch them on some days,” said Capt. Brian Farester of the quartermaster battalion. “They’ll bathe in it. They’ll swim in it. They take a big scoop [with their hands] and drink it.”

Since the troops would risk cholera, typhoid or something worse if they did the same, the quartermaster unit is in Iraq to turn that putrid river water into something clean and healthy.