Divers Find and Detonate Grenade-Type IED in Alabama Drinking Water Reservoir

A grenade-type improvised explosive device turned up in an Alabama reservoir that supplies drinking water to about 350,000 people, officials said Thursday.

Divers checking the Converse Reservoir Dam for routine maintenance found the bomb. The Mobile Area Water and Sewer System described it as a grenade-type IED and alerted the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office right away, authorities said.

A team from multiple agencies secured and detonated the device. That group included the FBI Bomb Squad, Mobile Police Department Explosive Ordnance Detail, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's Bomb Squad, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and Daphne Search and Rescue Team, according to MAWSS.

MAWSS Director Bud McCrory called the discovery an unprecedented threat to the area's drinking water. "We are fortunate that this device was discovered before it could cause serious damage to our water supply or harm to individuals," he said.

The Converse Reservoir provides the only source of drinking water for Mobile's 350,000 residents, MAWSS said.

"We are grateful for the professionalism and competency of our law enforcement partners – as well as the quick thinking of our contractors and divers – in identifying this device and safely destroying it," McCrory said.

MAWSS is teaming up with law enforcement to figure out how the bomb ended up in the reservoir and how long it had been there. The agency also plans to boost security around the dam.

The Converse Reservoir and its dam count as federally designated critical infrastructure. The Association of State Dam Safety Officials classifies the dam as high hazard potential.

That designation means a structural failure would probably cause loss of human life, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.