Feasibility Study of Portable Water Desalination Systems for Water Contingencies at Remote Navy Installations

Navy explores ways to ensure an uninterrupted supply of potable water at remote installations.

NAVFAC Expeditionary Program Office (NEPO), Washington Navy Yard, DC

The Department of the Navy (DON) has major installations located around the world. Twenty-two main installations operate outside the continental United States (OCONUS) and rely on on-base water processing facilities. These facilities serve a total population of 71,000 military and civilian personnel, and the water plants have a total production capacity of 15.7 million gallons per day.

A significant majority of these locations use a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system for water purification. At many of these installations, the RO systems provide the only reliable potable water source for personnel. Providing potable water is a critical and core mission of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC).