H.F. Scientific, a Fort Myers-based company, has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to supply portable drinking water systems for the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The company currently is shipping 200, hand-held water purification systems - or so-called "chlorine pocket photometers-each week to the military for distribution into the Middle East.

Current plans call for supplying as many as 37,000 units, totaling a potential $14 million in sales.

"Providing and insuring safe drinking water is a critical need following the recent war in Iraq," states H.F.Scientific President Robert Maley. "As a Fort Myers-based company, it is an honor to be selected to use our expertise and supply our latest technology to help protect the health and well-being of our military personnel and citizens involved in the rebuilding of those countries."

The U.S. military selected the product for its portability, ruggedness, reliability and ease of use. "It's an ideal size, self-contained and an extremely durable unit that fits the military's needs," according to Maley.

This is the company's second foray into providing water purification and testing systems for the military. During the Gulf War in the early 1990's, the company produced a small, portable kit used by U.S. military mechanized units to test captured fuel.