{"id":45942,"date":"2023-05-17T21:23:22","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T21:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:58:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:58:06","slug":"why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the drinking water got tainted on the carriers Nimitz and Lincoln"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For years, and through an historically long deployment during the most disruptive phase of the COVID pandemic, <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/static.militarytimes.com\/assets\/pdfs\/1684347452.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">the aircraft carrier Nimitz<\/a> was hauling around polluted water in its potable water tanks, and more than a third of those 26 tanks were out of commission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that issue was never formally documented or addressed until JP-5 jet fuel got into the carrier\u2019s drinking water last fall while the ship was getting ready to deploy, sidelining the carrier and sickening at least 11 sailors, according to a Navy investigation released this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fellow carrier Abraham Lincoln suffered its own drinking water contamination in September as it ended a deployment, and a separate investigation into that incident released this week shows that the carrier was dealing with water purity issues for longer than the Navy has publicly acknowledged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy has previously disclosed that noxious bilge water got into Lincoln\u2019s potable water system in September, but the investigation also shows that five of Lincoln\u2019s potable water tanks tested positive for bacterial contamination in early 2022, prior to the ship\u2019s deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before that, no other carrier had had a water tank test positive in the past two years, and such a test should have been a warning sign, according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLincoln allowed this deviation to normalize without clearly bounding the problem or taking corrective action,\u201d the report states. \u201cThough Lincoln was able to address each (potable water) tank that tested positive before putting that (potable water) tank back into service, thorough investigation of these results could have provided an opportunity for early root cause identification.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2022\/09\/21\/jet-fuel-leaks-into-uss-nimitzs-drinking-water-system\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Nimitz-underway-water.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Jet fuel leaks into USS Nimitz\u2019s drinking water system<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Fuel was discovered in the water Friday, and officials said the water system was flushed and back online by Monday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A bilge space is where accumulated dirty water, oil, chemicals and other assorted ship sludge are stored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lincoln also got underway without an in-line water treatment system that investigators found could have helped mitigate some of the bilge contamination, and the probe found no casualty reports indicating that the system was down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workers inspected the ship\u2019s problematic potable water tank in October, a few weeks after the contamination was discovered, \u201cthe bottom of the tank had a visible black substance layer,\u201d the investigation states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No Lincoln sailors were sickened by the bacteria found in that ship\u2019s water system, according to Navy officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/static.militarytimes.com\/assets\/pdfs\/1684347452.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Go here to read the Nimitz investigation<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/static.militarytimes.com\/assets\/pdfs\/1684347556.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">here to read the Lincoln investigation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In light of these events in September and October, Naval Air Forces Commander Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell directed the establishment of an Aircraft Carrier Potable Water Working Group to review all incidents involving potable water on carriers within the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The group was supposed to report back its findings by Jan. 31, but they are not included in the investigations the Navy released this week and officials did not provide on-the-record responses to Navy Times questions about that group\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There have been no other potable water contamination cases on carriers since the Lincoln and Nimitz, and no one has been disciplined in connection to those two incidents, according to Naval Air Forces spokesman Cmdr. Zachary Harrell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The type community is working with Navy medical and public health officials to \u201ccontinue a dedicated effort to review and update policies and procedures on potable water maintenance and corrective actions to ensure the health and safety of our Sailors,\u201d Harrell said in an email Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Multiple messages were also sent to carrier commands late last year reminding them to follow proper procedures and instructions when dealing with potable water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe U.S. Navy is taking this issue very seriously,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harrell did not respond to specific questions about the investigations\u2019 findings that both carriers had water quality issues before the contaminations came to the fore last fall.<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link smg-interstitial-link--fallback wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/static.militarytimes.com\/assets\/pdfs\/1684347452.pdf\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__fallback-link\">The Navy&#039;s investigation into water contamination aboard the aircraft carrier Nimitz<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement, Whitesell said that \u201caccess to clean, safe water is a priority that we as Sailors take extremely seriously,\u201d and that efforts to provide bottled water and treat sickened sailors during the contaminations are \u201ca clear reflection of the leadership and compassion we have on our aircraft carriers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nimitz\u2019s longstanding water problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn 2020 or earlier,\u201d Nimitz\u2019s crew discovered that water in at least one of the ship\u2019s potable water tanks was tainted with seawater, but that deficiency was never formally documented or addressed, according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFailure to formally document the deficiency and promptly correct the issue allowed the condition to worsen, and it left the problem to future crew members who had no insight into circumstances of the original problem,\u201d the investigating officer wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nimitz completed an historic, 340-day deployment from April 2020 to February 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Likely unbeknownst to the thousands of sailors onboard for that cruise, one of Nimitz\u2019s potable water tanks was also fouled with jet fuel during that deployment, after \u201cJP-5 leaked into the potable water tank through a deteriorated manway cover gasket,\u201d the investigation states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That manway cover was located in a bilge space and the leak likely occurred \u201cdue to misalignment or malfunction of the ship\u2019s main drainage system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe ship\u2019s crew was unaware of the presence of JP-5 in (one of the potable water tanks) prior to 16 September 2022,\u201d the investigation states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5198\" height=\"3128\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23093092557673.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"The U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz departs a naval base in Busan, South Korea, Sunday, April 2, 2023.\" class=\"wp-image-81456\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23093092557673.jpg.jpg 5198w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23093092557673.jpg.jpg?resize=300,181 300w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23093092557673.jpg.jpg?resize=768,462 768w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23093092557673.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,616 1024w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23093092557673.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,924 1536w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23093092557673.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1232 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5198px) 100vw, 5198px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The aircraft carrier Nimitz departs a naval base in Busan, South Korea, on April 2. (Cha Geun-ho\/Yonhap via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Months before, in February 2022, the ship\u2019s reactor officer discovered that eight of Nimitz\u2019s 26 potable water tanks were out of service and not being used to supply drinking water to the crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHis investigation revealed the eight tanks had been out of service since at least September 2020,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harrell did not respond to Navy Times questions regarding whether it is normal for a carrier to have so many potable water tanks offline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The only record noting the tank issues was \u201can informal tracking sheet\u201d at the ship\u2019s water control watch desk, the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That reactor officer, whose name is redacted in the publicly released report, directed the reactor propulsion division to make plans to clean, inspect and restore the tanks prior to the ship\u2019s upcoming deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the ship was in maintenance at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington, in March 2022, the ship requested assistance to empty and clean the eight potable water tanks \u201cthat were full of liquid but out of service for suspected seawater contamination,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But just one of the fouled tanks was cleaned, inspected, sanitized and restored to service, \u201cdue to limited time and resources available.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cConcerned there would be insufficient time to restore the remaining seven tanks to service, the Reactor Officer directed the Reactor Propulsion Division to develop plans to empty and restore the remaining tanks without the assistance of the shipyard,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While developing plans to empty the ship\u2019s potable water tanks on their own, the crew was \u201cunaware that any of the tanks contained JP-5,\u201d and assumed they were just dealing with seawater, based on the ship\u2019s informal records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis was a major factor in the ship\u2019s understanding and consideration of the risk associated with pumping liquid from one tank through other water piping,\u201d the report states. \u201cThe ship did not know or consider the possibility that the tank might contain contaminants other than seawater.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nimitz\u2019s jerry-rigged plan to empty and flush the potable water tanks did not comply with polices to ensure that the potable water system remained free of contaminants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ship should have held a briefing on Sept. 16, before starting the job, to bring key officers up to speed, the report found, but the plan went forward without everyone being on the same page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that day, water stinking of JP-5 started flowing out of water fountains, sinks and ship sample points as the crew emptied one of the potable water tanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaders in charge of those systems were \u201cunable to determine or take appropriate corrective actions to prevent more significant consequences from occurring, which ultimately led to spreading JP-5 to ship\u2019s distribution system,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fuel spread to the ship\u2019s potable water distribution system that evening, and it later spread to other potable water tanks \u201cwhen operators attempted to locate the source of JP-5 by recirculating and sampling\u201d some of the potable water tanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just before 9 p.m. on Sept. 16, the engineering officer on watch and the water control watch received reports from the wardroom, staterooms and berthing that there was JP-5 in the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/04\/25\/aircraft-carrier-nimitz-makes-history-with-350000th-arrested-landing\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/230422-N-MH015-1279.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Aircraft carrier Nimitz makes history with 350,000th arrested landing<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Commissioned in 1975, the Nimitz is the flagship of its namesake carrier strike group.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As news of the contamination spread, the report states the ship\u2019s command \u201ctook appropriate action to keep the crew safe and initiated actions to recover the ship\u2019s potable water system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following morning, the ship\u2019s senior medical officer trained the medical department on symptoms of fuel ingestion in case crew members presented with those symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople who visited medical complained of minor symptoms common to many ailments: upset stomach, nausea, headache or rash,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ship arrived at Naval Air Station North Island, California, the next day, but other issues occurred that slowed a return to normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At one point, the ship requested a second hose to help pump out all the sewage from the ship\u2019s toilets, showers and galleys, and a base public works employee asked a sailor why a second hose was needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sailor inaccurately stated that they were pumping JP-5 into the sewer, according to the report, so the base employee halted the raw sewage offload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To stop the sewage tanks from filling up while pumping was paused, the ship halted laundry and potable water, and Nimitz sailors had to use aircraft carrier Carl Vinson\u2019s berthing barge for showers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The confusion resolved by the night of Sept. 18, and the next day, Nimitz\u2019s leaders and officials with Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command met to discuss the carrier\u2019s sewage system and JP-5 in the potable water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNeither the ship nor shore support facilities had preplanned procedures or response actions to recover a shipboard potable water system contaminated with JP5,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the report found the ship\u2019s force did not have the capability to analyze water or sewage for JP-5, flushing the water system took several weeks before the ship was able to depart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About two weeks after mooring at North Island, the ship\u2019s safety officer deployed a four-member \u201csniffer team\u201d to determine which areas of the ship continued \u201cto exhibit odor from the potable water system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe sniffer team commenced daily analysis of 65 sample points throughout the ship for odor,\u201d the report states. \u201cThe results were used to target additional flushing of the potable water system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3957\" height=\"2826\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7662821.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81337\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7662821.jpg.jpg 3957w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7662821.jpg.jpg?resize=300,214 300w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7662821.jpg.jpg?resize=768,548 768w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7662821.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,731 1024w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7662821.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1097 1536w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7662821.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1463 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3957px) 100vw, 3957px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sailors heave in a line on the fantail aboard the aircraft carrier Nimitz as the ship gets underway from Guam on March 4. (MC3 Caylen McCutcheon\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Honest Abe\u2019s nasty water<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lincoln sailors first noticed nasty drinking water on Sept. 21, and that ship\u2019s investigation notes that there was \u201cno evidence\u201d that Lincoln\u2019s potable water tanks were circulated and sampled in the 48 hours before the ship got underway, in accordance with regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was also no evidence that a contaminated tank was sampled or recirculated before it was placed in service that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAn unsatisfactory sample would have prevented placing that tank online,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link smg-interstitial-link--fallback wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/static.militarytimes.com\/assets\/pdfs\/1684347556.pdf\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__fallback-link\">The Navy&#039;s investigation into water contamination aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After that troubled tank started supplying sailors, \u201cthere were immediate indications of (potable water) contamination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As previously disclosed by the Navy, Lincoln\u2019s contaminated drinking water issues stemmed from a hole in a vent header pipe located six inches above the bilge deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Corrosion produced the hole \u201csometime in spring 2022,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lincoln was scheduled to depart North Island on Sept. 18, but the reactor was shut down for repairs, delaying the departure to Sept. 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From Sept. 19 to Sept. 21, the bilge levels reached the six-inch height where the corroded venter hole sat, allowing in the dirty fluids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Sept. 21, after placing the potable water tank into service, sailors told the plant chief machinery operator that the water \u201ctastes weird.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That chief machinery operator didn\u2019t alert the chain of command \u201cbased on perceptions\u201d that moving from shore to ship-provided water could result in a brief change in taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The chief machinery operator told the water control watch sailors that \u201cthe tank is bad,\u201d but did not elaborate. The water watch took this to mean that chlorine measurements were off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That afternoon, more than 12 nautical miles from land, Lincoln experienced a separate \u201cchemistry casualty\u201d that diverted watch stander attention, delaying the identification of any potable water contamination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By about 7 p.m., the engineering officer of the watch began to get reports that the water smelled, tasted and looked funny, prompting the officer to shut down the potable water tanks that were in use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That officer did not log the contaminated potable water incident but reported it to the ship\u2019s main propulsion assistant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lincoln-sailors-4.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lincoln-sailors-4.jpg.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lincoln-sailors-4.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lincoln-sailors-4.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Castro, front, and Lt. Bartley O&#8217;Toole shoot off an EA-18G Growler jet as it launches from the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln Dec. 2, 2022. (MC3 Clayton A. Wren\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just before 9 p.m., the contaminated water tank was put back in service as part of a tank shift ordered by the engineering officer of the watch, which reintroduced the source of the contaminated water into the ship\u2019s system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the ship\u2019s supply officer and chief engineer tried to figure out what was going on, the report suggests rank-and-file sailors knew something was wrong, as there was a run on bottled water at the ship\u2019s store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cXO verified with (the supply officer) the quantity of bottled water on hand and suspended bottled water sales to ensure adequate bottled water for the crew would be available\u201d as they worked to fix the potable water system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Medical took a bacteriological sample of the potable water tank, but results would not be available for 18 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The water later tested positive for E. coli bacteria, which is extremely common and mostly harmless, but can cause severe cramps, diarrhea and vomiting, according to the Mayo Clinic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That particular vent header that allowed bilge into the drinking water system was susceptible to corrosion and premature failure \u201cin an operational environment with higher-than-normal bilge levels,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf this header had been classified as high interest piping, the next inspection would have occurred in September and a proper inspection likely would have discovered the hole in the vent header and limited the contamination\u201d of the water tank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1059\" height=\"715\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/vent-header.png.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/vent-header.png.png 1059w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/vent-header.png.png?resize=300,203 300w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/vent-header.png.png?resize=768,519 768w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/vent-header.png.png?resize=1024,691 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1059px) 100vw, 1059px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An image from the Navy&#8217;s investigation into water contamination onboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln reveals the vent header hole that allowed bilge to get into  the ship&#8217;s drinking water. (Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In-line chlorinators used to treat the water system were also \u201cnot available for use during most of the deployment,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Lincoln had \u201clearned to live\u201d without the chlorinators as it had not undergone such a modification, such an asset would have \u201csignificantly mitigated this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDespite missed opportunities in preventing and mitigating the contamination, the response demonstrated proper risk assessment and aggressive response,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workers traveled to North Island and inspected the potable water tank on Oct. 15 and found the black substance in the bottom, according to officials and the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three days later, yard workers discovered the vent header with the hole in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The afflicted water tank was inspected during maintenance in Fiscal Year 2020 and received a \u201c\u2018Good\/Normal\u2019\u201d result, according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That vent header that caused all the issues had not been replaced since Lincoln\u2019s construction, but the ship\u2019s force rated the component \u201csatisfactory\u201d during a March 2022 inspection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Correction: an earlier version of this story incorrectly stated where Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workers found a potable water tank with a black substance in the bottom aboard the carrier Abraham Lincoln. They discovered the substance while the ship was at Naval Air Station North Island, California.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Navy has released its investigations into water contamination that plagued the two carriers last fall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":81384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,23,88,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3355],"class_list":["post-45942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"NINI7EHQFRBMNELJOGUVNKDZTE","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why the drinking water got tainted on the carriers Nimitz and Lincoln - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Navy has released its investigations into water contamination that plagued the two carriers last fall.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why the drinking water got tainted on the carriers Nimitz and Lincoln\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Navy has released its investigations into water contamination that plagued the two carriers last fall.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-17T21:23:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T19:58:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Geoff Ziezulewicz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Geoff Ziezulewicz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f1587e1f8c0d41f0683bf42b02602ad8\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Why the drinking water got tainted on the carriers Nimitz and Lincoln\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2023-05-17T21:23:22+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T19:58:06+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 2644,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q75.jpeg_c5ea02.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Left Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Navy\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Why the drinking water got tainted on the carriers Nimitz and Lincoln - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q75.jpeg_c5ea02.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2023-05-17T21:23:22+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T19:58:06+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The Navy has released its investigations into water contamination that plagued the two carriers last fall.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q75.jpeg_c5ea02.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q75.jpeg_c5ea02.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/17\\\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Navy\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-navy\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Why the drinking water got tainted on the carriers Nimitz and Lincoln\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f1587e1f8c0d41f0683bf42b02602ad8\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/staging.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why the drinking water got tainted on the carriers Nimitz and Lincoln - Navy Times","description":"The Navy has released its investigations into water contamination that plagued the two carriers last fall.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why the drinking water got tainted on the carriers Nimitz and Lincoln","og_description":"The Navy has released its investigations into water contamination that plagued the two carriers last fall.","og_url":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2023-05-17T21:23:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T19:58:06+00:00","author":"Geoff Ziezulewicz","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Geoff Ziezulewicz","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/f1587e1f8c0d41f0683bf42b02602ad8"},"headline":"Why the drinking water got tainted on the carriers Nimitz and Lincoln","datePublished":"2023-05-17T21:23:22+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T19:58:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/"},"wordCount":2644,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75.jpeg_c5ea02.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Home","Left Column","News","Newsletters","Your Navy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/","url":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/","name":"Why the drinking water got tainted on the carriers Nimitz and Lincoln - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75.jpeg_c5ea02.jpg","datePublished":"2023-05-17T21:23:22+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T19:58:06+00:00","description":"The Navy has released its investigations into water contamination that plagued the two carriers last fall.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75.jpeg_c5ea02.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75.jpeg_c5ea02.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/05\/17\/why-the-drinking-water-got-tainted-on-the-carriers-nimitz-and-lincoln\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Your Navy","item":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/","ad_zone":"your-navy"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Why the drinking water got tainted on the carriers Nimitz and Lincoln"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/f1587e1f8c0d41f0683bf42b02602ad8","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75.jpeg_c5ea02.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45942"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103413,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45942\/revisions\/103413"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45942"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=45942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}