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Fort Jackson informs residents of water pollution and ways forward

On Tuesday night residents were able to attend an open house geared towards informing the public of RDX, a contaminant found in groundwater from grenade use.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Fort Jackson is notifying residents of the results of their study into Royal Demolition Explosives (RDX). 

In 2013, traces of RDX were detected in water taken from on-post wells near the installation's southern border. Since then, 194 residential drinking wells were tested.

On Tuesday night residents were able to attend an open house geared towards informing the public of what was found and solutions.

"We determined that the source of RDX was from the Kasserine Pass range, but it was from historical use, not current use," says Barbara Williams, chief of the Environmental Management Branch. "It happened in the past, so all we can do is manage it from here on end. We are doing that by sampling residential wells. We've been routinely sampling them beginning in December of 2013 and we will keep doing so."

RDX is believed to come from explosives, like hand grenades. The use of hand grenades in the Kasserine Pass range is from training during World War II. The study is part of a nationwide push to investigate RDX exposure.

While RDX was detected in 31 of the 194 residential wells, the report says it was in trace amounts below environmental standards. Colonel John Hankins says they want to continue to notify the public.

"It is very important for Fort Jackson to be transparent with the information that we know, transparent with the actions that we've taken," says Col. Hankins. "We do have their safety first and foremost and to that we are taking all the measures that we know to take to ensure the safety of their water."

Fort Jackson has already installed filtration systems in some of the wells where RDX was detected. They are also considering bringing City of Columbia water out to residents affected. However, it could take a decade before all of the RDX in the groundwater is removed.

For more information on RDX and how you can get your well tested, reach out to Barbara Williams at (803)751-6858 or by email at  barbara.s.williams38.civ@mail.mil. 

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