Drinking Water on USS Abraham Lincoln Contaminated

The U.S. Navy found drinking water on an aircraft carrier was polluted with bacteria and bilge water.

Footage from the USS Abraham Lincoln shows murky water bubbling out of drinking fountains and sinks on September 21-22.

A sailor told Insider that the water smelled and tasted “horrible” and said you “can’t escape it.”

NEW: The Navy recently found that the water on the USS Abraham Lincoln was contaminated with bacteria and wastewater. Videos obtained by Insider show a gray, murky color.

One sailor told me the pollution was "horrible" and inescapable. My latest: https://t.co/nINnUZSAC1

— Jake Epstein (@byjepstein) October 27, 2022

https://twitter.com/realtoriabrooke/status/1586041141874622466

Some drinking water tanks on USS Abraham Lincoln were contaminated by waste leak, #USNavy says https://t.co/N5yzEAbBKb

— Joseph Cacchioli (@JosephCacchioli) October 27, 2022

In one video, a sailor was heard saying it smelled “like sh*t.”

Insider reported:

Sailors on the Lincoln first noticed an unusual “odor and cloudy appearance” in the ship’s water on September 21 while at sea, according to a statement released by the Navy earlier this month. Testing the next day revealed the presence of E. coli bacteria in a few of the Lincoln’s potable water tanks, the Navy said.

But the E. coli didn’t cause the smell and discoloration. On October 21, a month after issues were first detected aboard the carrier, the sea service said that it determined that the ship’s water supply had been polluted by bilge water, wastewater that collects in the bowels of the ship.

A sailor, whose identity is known to Insider but is being withheld due to concerns about the possibility of retribution, told Insider that the polluted water was inescapable. The sailor said they reported stomach issues after drinking the water last month but were told to go back to work. Other shipmates, the sailor added, reported experiencing rashes. The Navy, however, said earlier this month that no sailors experienced any health issues related to the ship’s water quality.

One sailor recalled feeling thirsty when they woke up for breakfast on September 21 and went to the water fountain for a quick sip.

“It tasted just horrible,” they said.

Stars And Stripes added:

Contaminated water found in some of the tanks aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as it was moored off the Southern California coast a few weeks ago got into the ship’s potable water system through a leak in one of its pipes, Navy officials said.

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The Navy said earlier this month that E. coli bacteria and some foul-smelling water that was cloudy in appearance was found in some of the potable water tanks aboard the warship as it was off the coast of San Diego.

Officials said the water’s unusual appearance and smell led to the discovery of the E. coli in three of the ship’s 26 potable water tanks. However, they noted the two issues were not related to each other.

After the discovery of the bacteria, the Navy said the tanks were taken out of service and inspected.

“Those tanks were immediately isolated and secured from the potable water system, and the odor and cloudiness in the water abated by [the following day],” said Cmdr. Zachary Harrell, spokesman for the commander of the Naval Air Forces.

Harrell also said the affected tanks would be deep-cleaned and inspected and a thorough root-cause analysis was being done.

The Navy said the cloudy and smelly water was contaminated with bilge water, which contains various waste elements such as oil and chemicals that accumulate on lower parts of the ship.