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Monday, October 1, 2007

Good News from Iraq: 1 Oct 2007

From MNF-I, Corps of Engineers hands over Al-Sulaiman Compact Water Unit to Iraqis.

TALLIL — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has installed and handed over to Iraqi authorities a compact water treatment plant in Dhi Qar Province in Southern Iraq.

The Iraqis "have signed for the facility and it's operational," said Navy Cmdr. Michael Lang, officer in charge of the Adder Area Office of USACE's Gulf Region South district.

The compact plant will supply water to residents of the village of Sulaiman and people living nearby, serving approximately 420 homes, according to Tommy Nason, a construction representative with the Adder Area Office.

The project cost nearly $419,000, he said. It was paid for by the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund.

Officially known as the Al-Sulaiman Compact Water Unit & Network System, the new facility will provide reliable, clean water to residents in an area that has long faced critical water challenges.

These challenges arose in part from contamination due to high salinity in the water and from under-funding for water needs during the past regime.

Southern Iraq has a high mortality rate for infants and children under five due to preventable water-borne diseases.

The facility consists of a 50 cubic meter/per hour compact unit water treatment plant with an above-ground storage reservoir and includes a piping network and connection to an existing water network.