U.S. Army's new Lightweight Water Purifier deployed to Iraq

Feb. 24, 2006
Mechanical Equipment Company Inc. (MECO), designer and manufacturer of the U.S. Army's latest LWP, reported the U.S. Army has deployed and is now operating the units in a combat environment in Iraq. In support of the 10th Mountain Division based at Camp Liberty, Iraq, the innovative filtration system can produce up to 125 gph of safe potable water from a brackish water source or 75 gph from a seawater source -- even from water affected by biological or chemical weapons...

SUGAR LAND, TX, Feb. 23, 2006 -- Mechanical Equipment Company Inc., (MECO) designer and manufacturer of the U.S. Army's latest Lightweight Water Purifier (LWP) units, announced today that the U.S. Army has deployed and is now operating the LWP in a combat environment in Iraq. This LWP is providing safe potable drinking water for support to the 10th Mountain Division headquartered at Camp Liberty, Iraq.

MECO's LWP has unique capabilities for water treatment in comparison to the Army's current inventory and far exceeds the capabilities of any other military or commercial device available. The unit can produce up to 125 gallons of fresh water per hour from a brackish water source or 75 gallons per hour from a seawater source. The LWP produces fresh potable water from even contaminated sources, such as highly turbid surface water or water affected by biological or chemical weapons.

"This marks the first time such a capability has been utilized in a wartime environment, and we are proud to be supporting our troops," said George Gsell, President of MECO.

Produced at MECO's machine and fabrication plant in Goodbee, La., and assembled at its new assembly plant in Sugar Land, TX, the LWP is the most advanced lightweight mobile water treatment for military applications. The highly mobile purification system weighs less than 2,000 pounds, including a generator, hoses and fuel, and can be carried on the back of a HMMWV, on a UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter or dropped from a C-130 aircraft. The LWP is part of the U.S. Army's ongoing transformation from a modular force and is currently supporting the War on Terror.

"The LWP is the world's most advanced lightweight highly mobile water treatment system designed and developed for military applications," said U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Francisco A. Espaillat, Product Manager, Petroleum and Water Systems, U.S. Army Tank and Automotive Command. "The LWP represents the latest technological advances in the treatment of water and has been thoroughly proven and tested for operation with the U.S. Army and our sister services.

"The LWP is a leap in lightweight water treatment technology and provides the U.S. Army with a best-in-the-world capability," Espaillat said.

MECO is presently under a long-term, multi-year contract with the U.S. Army to produce over 350 LWPs for use in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters and in supporting international disaster response and humanitarian relief operations.

MECO (www.mecomilitary.com) is a manufacturer of engineered products for water purification serving a multiple of industries. The company has a history of providing products and services to the U.S. Armed Forces dating as far back as World War II. MECO is the world's leading producer of water purification plants for offshore oil and gas platforms and the biopharmaceutical industry, where ultra-pure water is the primary ingredient in the drug manufacturing process.

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