Engineers Complete Water Pump Stations in Mosul

By Julie Cupernall
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The US Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region North district is turning water faucets on in Mosul homes with the recent completion of five water pump station projects in that city.

Mosul is one of Iraq’s largest cities with more than1.5 million residents. Water pump stations are an important part of any city’s infrastructure – they are what keep water moving between a water source, water treatment facilities and consumers.

Beyond alleviating water shortages, the newly refurbished pump stations will combat illnesses associated with drinking unclean water – a danger to the very young and very old.

“It’s a joy to see the effects on the community and the security situation in an area when the people realize that their lives will be positively impacted as a result of one of our infrastructure reconstruction projects,” said Maj. Jennifer Munro, Gulf Region North’s Deputy Mosul Area Engineer.

A welcome secondary effect of infrastructure reconstruction such as this is the blow it delivers to the insurgency. Clean water makes life easier for the Iraqis who are connected to the refurbished water pump stations in Mosul – and when life is easier joining the insurgency is less enticing.

“In nearly every community supported by a water sector reconstruction project the security situation has improved upon completion of the project,” said Munro.

The US Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region North district was tasked with 1,500 projects in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, at a cost of nearly 2.6 billion dollars. GRN has completed more than 1,100 those projects.