Army Warns Bragg Residents Not to Drink Water

Kendra Rice-Greeley is worried about her tap water. Her children havehigh lead levels in their blood, and she's not taking any chances.

Rice-Greeley and thousands of other military personnel and dependentsrecently got word from the army that levels of trihalomethanes and lead inthe water at Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base are above federalstandards. She says they are careful to follow instructions.

Water specialists at the Fort Bragg water treatment plant say the highlevels of TTHM come from chlorine. A new million dollar tank is supposeto solve that problem.

As for the lead, Fort Bragg officials say the problem isn't at thewater treatment plant. Post Facilities Maintenance Chief MikeLaurenceau says the problem lies within the water distribution systeminside the pipes.

Fort Bragg is advising everyone to run their water for one minutebefore using it for cooking or drinking. They're also experimenting with anew chemical that will coat the inside of pipes and prevent lead fromgetting into the water. For now, reservist Missy Dirks says she won'tdrink the water on post.

Fort Bragg hopes new water treatment measures will put an end to theproblem.

Anyone with questions or concerns about the water at Fort Bragg or atPope can call910-396-LEAD.

Photographer:Rick Allen