The Marine Corps is testing a new Individual Water Purification System designed to filter out bacteria and viruses.
Currently, Marines are issued a two-staged system consisting of water purification tablets and a commercially-made water filter, according to Capt. Jeremy Walker, project officer for Marine Corps Systems Command.
“The chemical pre-treatment [tablet] will kill the viruses and then you use the filter to get out the bacteria, cysts, protozoa – the bigger stuff,” Walker said at the Navy League’s Sea, Air and Space Exposition.
The Marines are testing an in-line water filter for the Individual Water Purification System.
“It is a single stage, so there are no chemicals required for this,” Walker said. “It’s a hollow fiber, UF type filter, so it’s going to filter out everything all the way down to viruses.”
Walker would not speculate when the testing will be complete, but once it is, he said the Corps would have a better idea of how long these filters will last.
“If you are operating near really clear water, it’s going to last for a while,” said Walker, explaining that dirty, contaminated water will shorten the life of the filter.
