Posted on 09/29/2017 8:07:58 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Water safety inspectors visiting Camp Pendleton over several days in late June uncovered rats rotting on a reservoir gate, a desiccated frog clinging to a reservoir ladder and a rodent carcass floating in treated water.
They also interviewed base workers listed on paper as water treatment supervisors who didn’t know they were supervisors.
On Thursday, the Marines and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency entered into a consent decree designed to force the base to follow federal clean water regulations.
...
EPA officials told the San Diego Union-Tribune that after the Marines failed the June inspections, workers removed all animal remains from the system, cleaned the reservoirs, began routine testing of the water for Coliform bacteria and chlorine levels and pledged to keep surveying water quality to ensure it was safe to drink.
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The state and federal investigators, however, found “significant deficiencies” at both systems that comprise the base’s total treatment program, including a failure to inspect and maintain equipment, which led to foundational cracks and inadequate seals in the reservoirs. Problems with animal remains in the reservoirs dated to 2015, according to the reports.
Some reservoirs on base had not been cleaned since 2009, nearly three times as long as they should have gone without a proper scrubbing. The reservoir with rodents rotting on a mesh grate had not been cleaned within the last three years, a violation of the base’s own standard operating procedures.
One reservoir — an elevated tank — was in such “poor condition” that workers feared an inspection might not even be feasible.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I was Navy attached to the Marines. My PM Corpsman was telling me about trying to figure out why the Bromine/Chlorine levels kept dropping overnight in the water bulls. Says he decided to watch the tanks overnight and caught a local on top on a water bull taking a dump into the water.
Turdchaser indeed!
EWWW!
Yes, animals and amphibians are found in raw water supplies. But the article says they were found in the final treated water. That is NOT allowed.
Wow.
That really needs to change, and the military needs to take back dire3ct control of their property and assets, not just supervise the contraction out of all of it.
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If the contractors are big political donors that would explain a lot.
They should get their water from the desalinization plant down the road.
I thought I read that carriers had contract aviation maintenance that worked aboard when at sea.
I have no first hand knowledge, just asking.
NAVFAC civilian employees typically operate the central utility plants on USMC/USN shore installations.
I’d say there is a Public Works Officer who will have a bad day over this.
That is good for you , but less than 5% of our current military is “carrying a rifle” right now. Put them to work on base, or downsize.
We have fully trained MPs, but they do not handle security at our military bases? Totally unacceptable.
Your information doesn’t appear to be correct. I drive through a military gate every morning and am greeted by Uniformed Military Personal. In addition, 15% of the Army are Infantry and that doesn’t count the other combat components.
Most of the guys I see have been boots on ground deployed for 4,5,6 or more years. They train, deploy, train, deploy, they aren’t trained to fix the toilets and I’m OK with that. Down sizing just makes America less secure and makes those serving deploy even more often.
Are you saying 15% of our military is in combat right now? I don’t think so.
It has been 2 years since I passed through a mil gate, and not a single US military person was anywhere to be seen. I surely hope that is a thing of the past.
No, 15% carry the MOS (their job) of Infantry. In the last year, I’ve been through the gates of four different military installations, 3 of 4 was guarded by uniformed military. The fourth was a military academy so I don’t know how representative they are of the military in general.
It’s a joke. Like sending the new guy to get some flight line or to the gunny to get a prick E7. You should have realized it as there is no OOD brave enough to take on a 3 foot cockroach with a 1911. HQ had a fairly constant stream of young Marines dropping in to see the cockroach.
I accidently read it as 3 inches which I could believe. I saw a photo taken in the 1980’s where someone cross out the Pendleton in chalk and it read Camp Cockroach. It brought back so many memories and I laughed that nothing had changed in 20 years.
I’d be surprised if California didn’t have primacy from EPA on all public water systems. DOD instructions require all installations to follow applicable State drinking water rules.
Sounds like someone got tired of following up the 2015 inspection and called in EPA to get their attention.
gates are well guarded since 9/11 I suppose.
I wouldn’t know about that. I was a Boatswain’s Mate in Deck Department. Being color blind kept me from being in the Air Department.
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