INTRODUCTION
As the supervisor of a water point, you must be able to manage the operation of the water point according to
the requirements set forth in doctrine. The success of your mission depends upon your proper planning and
execution. It is your responsibility to provide potable water in adequate quantity and quality to the consumers.
This lesson is designed to help you meet the necessary requirements to successfully carry out your
responsibilities as a water treatment NCO.
PART A - MISSION WATER REQUIREMENTS
Water Use and Requirements. As a water treatment supervisor, you need to review the mission
water requirements to meet total daily water needs of the supported field force. Upon receipt of orders, it is
necessary to determine the gallon-per-man-per-day consumption factor. You will do this by using Table 1-1,
an excerpt from the Potable Water Planning Guide (PWPG).
Using Potable Water Planning Guide. This planning guide provides commanders and logistics
staff planners at all levels with a comprehensive potable water sustainment planning tool. Information
presented will enable logistics planners to identify requirements, assess capabilities, and identify water
purification, storage, and distribution requirements to support military force projection operations.
This planning guide provides an explanation, computations, and rationale for currently recognized Army
force potable water planning factors. Planning data have been expanded to include Gal/Man/Day potable
water planning factors for both Conventional and Integrated theaters, by Army force echelon/command level
and climatic environment. Discrete population planning factors are provided for EPW and civilian
internee/refugee operations, military and OOTW force provider operations, redeployment vehicle washrack
operations, and watercraft maintenance. In addition, this planning guide provides a quick reference of Army
water purification, storage, and distribution capabilities by separate brigade, divisional, and nondivisional
units.
Sample Computation. As a first step, you will need to accumulate the necessary background data for
making your calculations. In the following scenario, you are the water section NCOIC of an S&S company.
The company commander briefed you on the operation plan (OPLAN). Your section is to provide water
support for a light infantry division of 4,000 personnel (a small force deployment). The operational
environment is hot/tropical. Water quality is saline with total dissolved solids (TDS) at 20,000 milligrams per
liter and a water temperature of 35C. Water source availability is plentiful. The force will be in the field for
several weeks. The ration policy will be B-Ration, MRE, and B-Ration. You will therefore provide sustaining
water support to this force. There is no NBC threat. The CO of the division has determined that
laundry/showers will be allocated at 2 showers and 15 pounds of laundry per soldier per week. Estimated
water resource back-up requirement is none. You have four 600-GPH ROWPUs, two E-5 team chiefs, and
eight personnel at E-4 and below. Your mission is to establish two water points with two 600-GPH ROWPUs
at each water point.
Consumption Factor. As a second step, you need to determine the purification production
requirement (or consumption factor) for each echelon to be supported. For example, in the previous
scenario, the echelon to be supported is a division of 4,000 personnel. Table 1-1 contains the information
identifying the medium force deployment at a division level.
Then, you will derive the final consumption factor through a process of locating the necessary
components on the Army Force echelon/command level table. By cross matching the first line on the table
labeled Universal Unit level Consumption with the environmental columns to the right under the titles
Hot/Tropical/Sustaining, the first factor is 7.70 gallons. The next factor comes from the line labeled Level I
and II Medical. It adds an additional factor of 0.4 gallons to the previous number for a total of 8.1 gallons. In
addition, the OPLAN calls for showers and laundry operations under the same environment. By adding all
two of these numerical values (7.7, and 0.4), the result is 8.1 gallons per man per day as the total daily
consumption factor per soldier. This factor can be rounded to 8 gallons per man per day.
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