AWWA Provides Training Materials to Rebuild Iraq Water System; DVDs, Manuals to Provide Engineers, Operators with Guidance

12/16/2003

From: Sabrina McKenzie of American Water Works Association, 303-347-6140 or smckenzie@awwa.org; http://www.awwa.org

DENVER, Dec. 16 -- The American Water Works Association (AWWA) is tapping into its vast reservoir of drinking water expertise to help rebuild Iraq's aging and war-torn water system.

AWWA this week delivered to the Baghdad Water Authority thousands of dollars in DVDs, books, manuals, journals and other resources to assist water engineers and operators working to restore Iraq's water operations. The country's deteriorating water infrastructure is in severe disrepair due to inadequate maintenance and the effects of war.

AWWA provided multiple titles from its extensive video training library to assist in the short-term and long-term rebuilding of the Iraq water supply and distribution systems. Because there are few VCRs in Iraq, multi-media expert Allied Vaughn converted the videos to DVD format free of charge. Engineers and operators in Iraq can now take advantage of the training through laptop computers.

"AWWA has remained committed to assist in the efforts to bring safe water to the people of Iraq," said AWWA Executive Director Jack Hoffbuhr. "We are honored that we were able to provide our extensive training resources where they are needed most, and grateful to Allied Vaughn for their generous support. A safe and adequate water supply is critical to the rebuilding of Iraq."

Many of the training titles sent to Iraq are part of AWWA's Water Supply Operations series and cover topics ranging from chlorine safety to leak detection and repair. The training materials were compiled after AWWA was contacted by Research Triangle Institute (RTI), which is charged with providing Iraqi officials with the knowledge, skills and abilities to repair and sustain Iraqi water systems. RTI has been contracted by the U.S. Agency of International Development to assist in Iraq.

Established in 1881, AWWA is the oldest and largest nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to safe drinking water in North America. AWWA has over 57,000 members worldwide, and its 4,700 utility members serve 80 percent of America's population. AWWA's training resources include a Bookstore Catalog with more than 500 titles.