Here’s what we know about the contaminated drinking water on the USS Abraham Lincoln
The USS Abraham Lincoln, pictured here in 2017, was off the coast of California in September when sailors noticed foul smells and cloudiness in their drinking water. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matt Herbst/Navy)
Sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln noticed cloudiness and a stench coming from their drinking water in late September.
The Lincoln was off the coast of California at the time.
The Navy has made some official confirmations about the drinking water recently. For concerned service members and spouses, here’s what we know:
An inspection finally revealed that bilge was the reason behind the foul water, according to Naval Air Forces and reported by Navy Times.
Bilge water comes from “the liquids sitting inside the boat, … beneath the floor boards and under the engine,” according to Arid Bilge Systems.
In general, bilge water can contain chemicals, oil, sludge and ocean water.
This bilge water entered a potable water tank through a vent line hole, the Navy command said.
The ship has 26 potable water tanks, Navy Times reported. The affected tanks were separated from the system and the water cleared by the next day.
“No confirmed cases of illness” have been reported.
E. coli bacteria also was found in the water, the Navy said, but that’s not what this odor was coming from, and the levels were within “drinking water standards.”
The Lincoln’s water problems came after jet fuel leaked into the carrier Nimitz’s water in the same month.
Investigations into the leaks continue.
Is your spouse or service member serving on the Lincoln or Nimitz? Tell us how the water incidents affected them.