Workers have completed the water network in Tal Afar, Iraq, an $85,000 project that improved the water supply of 115 homes, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which awarded the contract and oversaw work quality.
"This project is unique because the work was awarded to a state-owned contractor," said Bill Hood, senior construction manager, USACE Gulf Region North. "It was an opportunity to promote goodwill between the (local) director of water and the USACE by using a local contractor. The final outcome is we received a quality product at lower-than-normal prices."
Almost 2,000 meters of 110 mm water main piping replaced the town's dilapidated main lines. Valves, valve boxes and 1,150 meters of 15 mm house connection pipe now bring service to the 115 homes.
The U.S. government has allocated about $2.7 billion to the Iraq Reconstruction and Relief Fund for water and sewage infrastructure repairs, maintenance programs and capacity development activities in Iraq. To date, roughly 348 water and sewage projects, worth $1.85 billion, are completed or in progress, according to Army Corps of Engineers officials.
Source: Polli Barnes Keller, American Forces Press Service
