However, the situation was salvaged by a contingent of Brotherhood of Steel soldiers established as a permanent garrison at the memorial around December 2257, thanks to James' negotiations with newly-promoted Elder Owyn Lyons. Coupled with the presence of large numbers of super mutants, the project nearly failed. Small-scale tests yielded consistent successes, but James and his team were unable to scale it up to the desired output. However, building a large-scale water purifier capable of processing the basin and filtering out the pervasive radiation proved challenging.
After years of work and preparation, the project team selected the Jefferson Memorial as the site of the purifier. Inspired by Catherine's favorite Bible passage, it was an ambitious attempt to create a water purifier capable of purifying water stored in the sealed-off Tidal Basin, providing millions of gallons of drinkable water to the wasteland. The brainchild of James and Catherine, Project Purity was founded long before 2257. The plan was to build a facility that could purify all the water in the Tidal Basin at once. “ 'Fresh, clean water for everyone.' Such a simple idea, and yet so impossible to realize.
