A bomb, described in published reports as either a grenade or an improvised explosive device, successfully was removed from the base of an Alabama dam where workers doing routine maintenance found it.
It was exploded to remove any potential danger.
But the discovery suggests a threat of terrorism that Americans typically don’t face.
WTF! An explosive was discovered underwater at the base of a dam in Alabama that supplies a city and the surrounding region with drinking water. https://t.co/Acj4w6g483 pic.twitter.com/zbNrt1is3o
— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) May 15, 2026
We better get serious about securing our critical infrastructure and we better do it immediately.
MOBILE, Ala. (NBC 15) — The Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS) Wednesday announced that the Gulf Coast Regional Maritime Response and Render-Safe Team successfully retrieved…
— Dave Hatter (@DaveHatter) May 15, 2026
NEW🚨: A grenade-type IED was found underwater at the Converse Reservoir dam in Mobile, AL — federally designated critical infrastructure that supplies drinking water to hundreds of thousands.
Divers found it during routine maintenance, not a tip. No suspect or motive has been… pic.twitter.com/snoEKQFJTV
— Melissa Hallman (@dotconnectinga) May 14, 2026
A report posted online by Fox said the bomb was found at the dam at Converse Reservoir, which provides drinking water to some 350,000 residents in the Mobile region.
Divers found, and then successfully removed, the explosive at the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System facility.
Mobile Area Water and Sewer System Director Bud McCrory said it was 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.
He added, “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.”
Investigators now are working to discover how the bomb was placed in the reservoir, how long it had been there, and more.
The Converse Reservoir and its dam are federally designated critical infrastructure. The dam is classified as a high hazard potential, according to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. That means a structural failure probably would cause “loss of human life.”
