Osan enacts emergency water conservation

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Paul Kilgallon
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs office
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  51st Civil Engineer Squadron Airmen responded Nov. 20 when two 40-foot sections of Osan AB's main water lines erupted underground, forming a 50-foot crater.

"It turns out a 12-inch and an eight-inch water main pipe broke because of an underground slippage of concrete that was used to cover a pre-existing benjo ditch," said Tech. Sgt. Joe Wyen, 51st CES non-commissioned officer in charge of the water and fuels systems maintenance. "We immediately started notifying base leadership of the situation and began working on trying to isolate further loss of water resulting from the broken lines."

Sergeant Wyen said that Airmen and civilians from agencies all over Osan worked together for more than 24 hours repairing the broken water mains.
"It was really impressive to see how our Airmen and civilians from agencies all over base came together and assisted one another in getting the water mains fixed," said Sergeant Wyen. "That sense of purpose and teamwork was truly admirable."

To prevent immediate water loss, Col. Thomas Deale, the 51st Fighter Wing commander enacted emergency water conservation measures, including rationing until the water service was restored and the storage supply recovered to its full capacity.

To aid in conservation efforts, all members of Team Osan were asked to immediately minimize the flushing of toilets, not allow faucets to run, use water to soap up and rinse only when showering, suspend all laundry use and to use paper plates and plastic utensils at all Osan dining facilities and restaurants.

With the efforts of many members of Team Osan, the water was restored the following day.

"Team Osan members from all the 51st Fighter Wing worked around the clock in the rain and cold to repair the damaged water lines," said Lt. Col. Scott Matthews, 51st CES commander. "The 51st Fighter Wing leadership is extremely proud of the hard work, diligence and fortitude that these members demonstrated in fixing the broken water pipes and for getting the water back on for our team."