Atlantic General Hospital Installs Strategic Water Reserve System

In May, Atlantic General Hospital installed two 1,000-gallon water reservoirs and a seven-stage water purification system that will produce clean water usable for drinking, bathing and medical treatments in the event that the facility’s municipal water supply is interrupted.

The strategic water reserve and disaster recovery potable water system was made possible largely through a Hospital Preparedness Program grant from the Department of Homeland Security that was administered through the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Atlantic General worked with Peninsula Water Conditioning, Inc. and Condor Technologies, Inc., to install the system, which uses reverse osmosis, carbon filtration and ultraviolet light disinfection, among other processes to make the water safe for consumption.

If necessary, the water system can produce up to 5,500 gallon per day of usable water for drinking, bathing, and food and medicine preparation, enough to sustain care and hydration of more than 1,000 individuals according to disaster preparedness standards. This is a sizeable achievement for the hospital, which houses less than 300 people on any normal day.

Water from the normal municipal supply rendered non-potable during a catastrophic event as well as water that has been trucked in or siphoned off nearby bodies of water can be filtered through the system if necessary.

The 2,000 gallons currently held in the hospital’s reservoirs is more than an emergency backup water supply; the system was designed to allow for a side benefit: greener routine operation. The reserve of water continuously feeds the hospital’s boiler system.

“Disaster planning is a vital undertaking for any community as well its critical service providers. Often times, not enough thought is given to the potential threats to a water supply,” said Glenn Lebedz, director of support services at Atlantic General Hospital. “Atlantic General chose to be proactive by installing this strategic water reserve system.”

About Atlantic General Hospital
Atlantic General Hospital has been providing quality health care to the residents of Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset (Md.) and Sussex (Del.) Counties since May 1993. Built by the commitment and generosity of a dedicated community, the hospital’s state-of-the-art facility in Berlin, Md. combines old-fashioned personal attention with the latest in technology and services. Atlantic General Health System, its network of more than 25 primary care provider and specialist offices, care for residents and visitors throughout the region. For more information about Atlantic General Hospital, visit www.atlanticgeneral.org. 

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