Service members assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, deployed to Honduras July 24 as part of the water purification team.

This team is part of the Adaptive Force Package (AFP) in support of the Southern Partnership Station-Joint High Speed Vessel 2015 (SPS-JHSV 15).

The team is in charge of ensuring the base camp of operations for the AFP has enough water for showers and if necessary, drinking water for 125 joint-service personnel on ground.

The Marines use the Lightweight Water Purification System (LWPS) to purify dirty water in order to provide quality water that can support small units. The LWPS is man-portable and can be set-up in as little as 45 minutes by one person.

Cpl. Wesley Tronolone, a native of Roanoke, Virginia, is the Water Purification Specialist in charge of the LWPS team consisting of four Marines and a Navy preventive medicine Corpsman, the primary team for water production of the base camp. His team is responsible for providing clean and safe water to camp.

"This system is better and cheaper than buying and outsourcing water," said Tronolone. "Fuel is the only thing that this system requires and where the money is spent."

The LWPS uses the Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Ultrafiltration (UF) technology that produces about 75 gallons per hour of fresh water from saltwater. It also uses chemical injections to treat the water with hypochlorite. After the water is purified the team tests the water to check its turbidity and how much chlorine is in the water.

Water Purification Specialist Lance Cpl. Mickenzie Mohs, a native of Becker, Minnesota, has been in the Marines for three years and serves as a water purification team member.

"This is one of the reasons why I joined the Marines, for humanitarian service and to help out people," said Mohs. "I am happy and satisfied to accomplish my mission."

SPS-JHSV 15 is an annual series of U.S. Navy deployments, fostering a lasting relationship with the host nations by promoting and enhancing regional stability and security through the sharing of experiences as well as humanitarian assistance missions and civil projects.

"The people here don't have all the resources that we do," said Mohs. "Helping them out definitively helps in bonding with the U.S."


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