Gunfighters, community partners break ground on water treatment plant, water pipeline

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Benjamin Ingold
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

The 366th Fighter Wing Gunfighters deploy some of the most precise weapons and professional Airmen in the world. However, the Gunfighters had a limiting factor that could not be solved with an F-15E Strike Eagle. This problem needed to be solved with community relationships, professional partnerships and math.

To keep the Gunfighters mission ready, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC), 366th Civil Engineer Squadron (CES) engineers, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Seattle District, Idaho elected and civil leaders, the city of Mountain Home and other partners broke ground on a brand-new water treatment plant and sustainable pump station Sept. 10, 2024.

“This project would not have been possible without the partnerships we have,” said Col. Michael Alfaro, commander of the 366th Fighter Wing. “Congratulation to all involved and I look forward to getting after other initiatives as a team to improve our community and this Air Force base.”

The water treatment plant project began over 10 years ago when Gunfighter leadership were informed of the rate of depletion of the Mountain Home Plateau Aquifer. Air Force engineers went to the drawing board to fix the problem in a way that was permanent and sustainable.

Solving this problem required an action-focused team of engineers and community partners able to clear hurdles and ensure that the project will protect Idaho’s people, environment and wildlife.

AFCEC awarded a $100 million contract to USACE from the multi-billion-dollar Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program. The USACE Seattle District was awarded the project and provided project management expertise and build contracts to local Idaho businesses.

“The Seattle District is well positioned to support our Mountain Home AFB partners because we are the Nation’s engineering experts and a trusted DoD partner,” said Maj. Joseph O’ Donnell, deputy commander of the USACE Seattle District. “We’re committed to safely delivering on time, and on budget, this critical project that will ensure clean drinking water for the 366th Fighter Wing’s 5,100 military and civilian members.”

The USACE leaned on the local expertise of the 366th CES and project lead Jason Darst. The engineer team diligently navigated the red tape and regulations to submit a complete proposal including bolstering the relationship with Idaho’s Water Resources Board and gaining funding from the state of Idaho for the Snake River Pipeline Project with the Energy Resilience Conservation Investment Program Water Treatment Plant.

The water treatment plant and pipeline posed a significant engineering challenge and will require continued in-depth collaboration between multiple state, private and federal entities to construct, inspect and operate the new resource. However, the fruits of the hard work will be safe, available drinking water for Gunfighters and their families for years to come.