Sasebo officials are packing up water purification equipment

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Sasebo officials are packing up water purification equipment
By Travis J. Tritten, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, January 10, 2008

SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Water purification equipment intended to temporarily ease the U.S. Navy’s reliance on Sasebo water supplies will be packed up and shipped out this month, the base announced Tuesday.

The 10 water purification devices and a detachment of Marines from Okinawa and Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni arrived at the base last month when drought conditions shrank reservoirs to a low point, but the devices were never used.

The Navy decided to keep the purifiers idle for weeks while the city considered rationing public water.

Sasebo city officials reported Monday that rationing probably won’t be necessary because recent precipitation increased water levels in the reservoirs from 53 percent to 59 percent of capacity.

The equipment could have cleaned enough seawater to supply the main base boiler plant and the Hario housing complex, which is home to hundreds of families, according to the Navy and Marine Corps.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51513