WC Missouri News

The 509th Civil Engineer Squadron is hard at work bringing more reliable power to the Whiteman Air Force Base water treatment facility. The project involves modifying the facility to connect it to back up and emergency power and installing a new generator.

Airman 1st Class Isaiah Groth, an electrical power production technician with the 509th CES, highlighted the importance of the project, stating, “In the case of an emergency where the water treatment plan is to lose power, we have a generator there that is more than capable of bringing the facility back online and is capable of running the entire facility for as long as it needs to.”

Groth also emphasized the collaborative nature of the project, noting, “You'll work with all the different engineering units because there's a lot of things that need to be coordinated.”

509th CES high-voltage electrician Tony Morris emphasized the learning opportunities provided by the project, stating, “Airmen and NCOs across the board are going to benefit from practical knowledge and hands-on training all the way through this project.”

Morris also highlighted the scale of the project, mentioning, “By my estimation, this will probably be, dollar wise, one of the largest projects civil engineering has ever tried to conduct internally.”

The project, which is being carried out entirely by Airmen from the 509th CES without external contractor support, provides valuable experience for the personnel involved. Morris noted, “These young Airmen have never had to excavate in a situation where there's potential for electrical conductors, fiber optic lines and everything else.”

Beyond the immediate benefits for the base and its residents in emergency situations, this project showcases the readiness of CES Airmen to take on large-scale projects efficiently and effectively.