PHCE strengthens relationship with German Water Association

Pont au Mousson, France -- Military and civilian personnel from Public Health Command Europe met with German drinking water experts to visit a ductile cast iron pipes factory as part of a team building exercise.

Public Health Command Europe and the German Association of Gas and Water (Deutscher Verein des Gas- und Wasserfachs e.V.) established their current professional relationship in 2015. The initial contact was made by Bettina Eckels, an environmental engineer with the Environmental Health Engineering Section, one of more than 30 local nationals working at PHCE.

Eckels, an environmental engineer with the Environmental Health Engineering Section, initially started networking with Stefan Neuschwander, managing director of the DVGW Regional Office Saarland, through her participation in DVGW professional development events.

Over the past years, PHCE and DVGW staff members have met to exchange expertise and knowledge in drinking water safety and hygiene. Each year, Neuschwander coordinates visits between PHCE and organizations within the DVGW.

This year, Neuschwander organized a visit to a manufacturer of ductile iron piping systems. Instead of the operation of critical infrastructures, the focus was placed on the material and the manufacturing process.

"The tour demonstrated in a vivid way the ductile iron pipe casting process and challenges and why materials used for water distribution systems matter," said Eckels.

The outing was attended by environmental health scientists, laboratory scientists and industrial health professionals.

"I work in the Inorganic Chemistry Division and specifically, I do metals testing," said Malory Duerr, Chemist at Public Health Command Europe's Laboratory Sciences Division. "I found it interesting to learn about the cast iron for piping and the different coatings they use on the exterior and the interior of the piping."

Duerr continued to say that "when testing for water, we are always concerned about the source of the water and the treatment facilities but how that water gets delivered, via an iron pipe for example, gives me a broader understanding of what types of analytes I could expect to see in future drinking water samples."

Mission briefings and open discussions allowed PHCE and DVGW drinking water professionals to talk through all aspects of water quality surveillance, management, and sustainability.

Public Health Command Europe's Environmental Health Engineering ensures that drinking water systems on Army installations are operated and maintained in a safe and sanitary manner.

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