Tipsheet

'Unprecedented Threat:' Routine Maintenance Found an IED at an Alabama Dam

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  May 14, 2026 12:45 PM

There is a scary story out of Alabama. On May 12, workers doing routine maintenance on the Converse Reservoir Dam in Mobile, Alabama, found a grenade-type IED at the dam.

The FBI bomb squad had to detonate the device, in what authorities are calling an "unprecedented threat."

Here's more from 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 and detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) found underwater at the Converse Reservoir dam.

The multi-agency effort included the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, FBI Bomb Squad, Mobile Police Department Explosive Ordinance Detail, ALEA Bomb Squad, and the Daphne Search and Rescue Team.

The device, a grenade-type IED, was initially located by divers surveying the dam for routine repair and maintenance. Following this discovery, MAWSS alerted the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, which coordinated the multi-agency response for analysis, retrieval, and safe demolition.

“Our top priority is keeping your drinking water safe,” said Bud McCrory, MAWSS Director. “This is an unprecedented threat, and we are fortunate that this device was discovered before it could cause serious damage to our water supply or harm to individuals. 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.”

Every dam and piece of critical infrastructure must be checked. It is an issue of national security.

"Apparently a grenade-type bomb was sitting submerged at the bottom of a dam that holds an entire city's DRINKING WATER. It took FIVE agencies: the FBI, ALEA, the Sheriff, Mobile PD, and a maritime render-safe team, to pull it out and detonate it," Swol wrote.

As of now, no suspects have been named, and there is no known motive.

Every major dam and bridge must be inspected for similar devices.

According to MAWSS, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is aware of this incident. There have been no statements from DHS or the FBI at this time.