Public notice for water monitoring violation

Ensuring safe drinking water at Sheppard AFB is one of many core tasks and responsibilities of the 82nd AMDS Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight.  The Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight works closely with the 82nd Civil Engineering Squadron to ensure proper locations are sampled.  Each month, Sheppard Air Force Base is required to test and submit water samples to an accredited laboratory for bacteriological analysis.  On January 20, 2016, a water sample from Building 776 tested positive for the presence of coliform bacteria.  The presence of coliform bacteria indicates the possibility of a potential problem with the water treatment system or the pipes that distribute treated water.  It could also be the result of sampling error, commonly known as a false positive.

The Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight collected a water sample on January 21, 2016 at Building 776.  However, additional water samples were not collected at two sites, which is required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).  As such, on April 12, 2016, Sheppard AFB received a Notice of Violation from TCEQ on improper sampling procedures following a positive notification.  The second sample and all subsequent samples tested negative for the presence of bacteria for all sites at Sheppard AFB.

TCEQ requires public notification of this water monitoring violation.  The Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight has re-accomplished both its water sampling checklist and flight training for water sampling procedures in order to ensure this error is avoided in the future.  If you have any questions regarding this violation, please contact Maj. Flory at the Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight at 940-676-3080.