Scott County now equipped with portable water purification system

BENTON, Mo. -- Access to safe drinking water becomes critical after only a few days.

Tom Beardslee, emergency management director for Scott County, advised county commissioners during their Tuesday meeting that the county is now prepared to meet that need in the event of an emergency.

The Scott County Emergency Management Agency is now equipped with a Noah Water Systems Nomad portable water purification system, Beardslee said.

The purchase was made with 2009 Homeland Security funding, Beardslee said.

"It is an excellent deployable unit for a disaster scenario as it can be moved to a disaster site where they may need water," he said. "The unit can take 25 to 30 gallons per minute, or 36,000 to 40,000 gallons per day, from any fresh water source -- including contaminated floodwater -- and turn it into drinking water."

The unit comes in two containers each of which is "about the size of a clothes washer," Beardslee said.

One of the containers has a generator and pump while the other has purification filters and an ultraviolet light system to kill bacteria, according to Beardslee.

The Nomad system costs $18,400. New Madrid, Mississippi, Pemiscot, Stoddard, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Butler, Ripley, Madison, Bollinger and Iron counties and the Kennett Fire Department, also received the units, Beardslee said.

Pertinent address:

Benton, Mo.