CNO provides clean drinking water units to U.S. Military

Choctaw Defense Manufacturing (CDMG) and ELW Global unveiled two Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPU) in McAlester, Oklahoma, on March 26.

The ELW ROWPU is a portable, trailer-mounted unit that can easily be moved to different locations. It converts undrinkable water into drinkable water in minutes. The system removes particles from potentially hazardous water sources and purifies the water to World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

“The reverse osmosis system, this is how it works. If you give me a cup of coffee with malted sugar in it, I will give you the water back,” said Darren Hume, an engineer with ELW Global who helped design the ROWPU.

Choctaw Defense Manufacturing is an arm of the tribally owned Choctaw Global. This Manufacturing business grew from the roots of the Choctaw Manufacturing and Development Corporation, a supplier of laser-guided bomb components for Texas Instruments.

According to Jeff Rodriguez, Vice President of Services Operations of Choctaw Global, the parent company of Choctaw Defense Manufacturing, around 80 people, including manufacturing engineers, machinists, welders, painters, assembly staff, and support staff, work at CDMG.

Rodriguez said that the two completed ROWPU are setting them up for success in the future.

“This is our first test run. I think it’s a success…and now that we’ve got that battle rhythm, we’re figuring out ways to make the production runs a lot more efficient, so we could crank these out at a faster pace,” he said.

The two units are being sent to Japan’s United States Misawa Air Base. The ROWPU will filter the surface and underground water stores to purify the water for the U.S. military personnel working there.

The military application is just the beginning of what CDMG hopes to use these water filtration units for.

“It’s used right now for the military, but it could also be used at the state and local levels. Think about the rail derailment in Ohio that occurred last year, where a bunch of chemicals were spilled in their water source. This will purify it. They won’t do petroleum, but they’ll handle chemicals. So, like I said, the possibilities are endless,” said Rodriguez.

The ROWPU can filter up to 508 gallons of clean drinking water from contaminated sources per hour, making it one of the market’s largest single-axle water treatment trailers.

Through a partnership with ELW Global, Choctaw Defense Manufacturing can market the ELW ROWPU to other Native American Tribes, cities, states and disaster response organizations. Alongside the trailer-mounted ROWPU, prototypes to build the ELW Global Diesel Field Kitchen and Trailer-Mounted Desalination units have already begun.

“We’re excited to see the ROWPU systems we built to create better living conditions for people around the world,” said Janie Dillard, CEO of Choctaw Global. “There are so many places around the world, including Native American tribes in the U.S., that do not have access to clean, safe drinking and cooking water. This system can make a difference in how those individuals live and improve their lives dramatically.”