The Gulf Region South district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed one of the largest water projects in Iraq – a $266 million facility in Al Shatra to provide thousands of Iraqis with clean drinking water.

At a recent ceremony, officials from the Iraqi Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works and the Nasiriyah Governate Council gathered to mark the completion of the Nasiriyah Water Treatment Plant by opening the city connections at an elevated storage tank and allowing water to flow into the distribution network. The plant and distribution system will help provide clean water to more than 500,000 residents of southern Iraq.

Safe drinking water will prevent the spread of disease in an area that historically has suffered from a lack of clean water, along with the resulting adverse health consequences. Southern Iraq has an extremely high mortality rate for infants and other children under the age of five, due largely to preventable water-borne diseases.

The Gulf Region South district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded the contract for the water project to FlourAMEC, a joint U.S.-British venture, to design and construct the facility at Al Shatra. The plant is capable of producing 10,000 cubic meters of treated water per hour, according to Navy Cmdr. Mike Lang.

“The overall project included the construction of a water treatment plant with 10 clarifiers, three booster pump stations, five elevated storage tanks, five river crossings, and a pipeline of more than 60 miles,” Lang says.

FlourAMEC has been recognized in for its outstanding efforts in the prevention of job site accidents in connection the project. More than 793 days and 4.5 million contract hours were put in without a recorded workday accident.
ND