Water flows from a bathroom sink inside an office building at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, on Jan. 11, 2024. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — The 2nd Infantry Division said Thursday that multiple tests found the water on this Army base is safe to drink despite a report on Facebook that it was not.
U.S. Army W.T.F! moments, a Facebook page with 1.4 million followers that posts about life in the U.S. military, uploaded a screenshot Wednesday of a message from an unidentified source alleging that water in an unspecified barracks was “not safe to drink.”
“Using the water to shower is ok, but please do not drink it,” the message said. “Get bottled water.”
“We don’t know the cause or severity but it includes Hovey and Casey,” the message said, referring to a pair of camps north of Seoul.
The post tagged Eighth Army, headquartered at Humphreys, about 40 miles south of the capital. Neither the author of the uploaded post nor its intended recipients were identified in the image.
Four hours after the Facebook post, the 2nd ID, also headquartered at Humphreys, replied to the original post to say the garrison’s Directorate of Public Works and the 65th Medical Brigade tested the base’s water on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Leadership responded immediately” to the concerns and multiple water tests revealed that “the water was safe to drink,” the command replied.
“We are working closely with garrison and leaders at every echelon to ensure our soldiers and families have clean potable water,” it added.
The division started an investigation after a soldier living in a Humphreys barracks expressed concerns Tuesday about their room’s tap water, 2nd ID spokesman Maj. Taylor Criswell told Stars and Stripes by email Thursday.
The soldier’s leaders, “out of precaution,” advised their soldiers not to drink the barracks’ tap water until a safety test was complete, he said.
The soldier’s concern was isolated to one building; water quality issues on base are “not a regular occurrence,” Criswell said.
“Drinking water on the installation is tested monthly to ensure it remains safe and clean,” he said. The garrison will administer more tests this week out of “an abundance of caution.”
Humphreys is the largest U.S. military base overseas. It has roughly 35,500 personnel and is home to several military commands in South Korea, including Combined Forces Command, U.S. Forces Korea and the U.N. Command.
