176th civil engineers tackle Alabama town sewage difficulties

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. N. Alicia Goldberger
  • 176th Wing
HAYNEVILLE, Ala. --  While deployed to this Alabama town in support of a military medical clinic, two members of the 176th Civil Engineer Squadron helped the local city government address long-standing concerns about the public sewer system.

The group is in Alabama as a part of an Innovative Readiness Training mission. The program allows for real-world training opportunities for military personnel while providing needed medical and engineering services to underserved communities in the United States.

With the help of a few 176th Medical Group (176 MDG) volunteers, the civil engineers worked to serve the townspeople with their skills, bringing them many benefits.

"It frees up the town's time and money," said Staff Sgt. Abigail Olivares, a utilities supervisor from the 176 CES. "It's costing the city a lot of money to run the sewage truck."

Saving resources is especially important in Hayneville as they operate on a low budget, according to Ronnie Daniels, the Hayneville project manager.

The sewer system project is an effort to improve an old system that can no longer sustain the number of households it services. The system was installed in the 1980s on a trial basis, according to Master Sgt. Chad Jennings, a structural supervisor from the 176 CES. The system used smaller, fresh-water pipes to carry waste and debris from houses instead of the typical waste-water pipes.

Working through the stench and the mud, the Airmen had the right spirit about the mission.

The people of Hayneville expressed gratitude for the help. Daniels, the city project manager, said the project would allow customers to have a trouble-free sewer.

"That's the way it should be," he said.