With the assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers the asphalt plant in Tal Afar, Iraq is back in business and operating at full capacity.

Originally erected in 1982, the plant had the capacity to produce 100 tons of asphalt per hour. However, in 2003 the plant stopped producing due to insurgent activities. USACE goal was to completely rehabilitate the asphalt plant and get it producing at the original capacity.

“This project brings the Asphalt plant to full production capabilities and provides a means for the district to transfer and install asphalt product,” said Marilyn Kwentus, project engineer, USACE. “The asphalt Plant is a facility that can support the continued growth of this city. In the short term, the plant can provide the resources for local construction projects. In the long term, the plant has potential to develop into a foundational industry for this city. As a result it is essential that this facility be returned to operational status.”

According to Kwentus, the required work that was completed on the plant was maintenance of most of the plants equipment, including conveyors tanks, pumps, generators, as well as reconstruction and upgrading of the floors, electricity, and a chain link fence.

The desired effect of this project was to restore the capacity of the asphalt plant for road repairs and upgrades to the Tal Afar district. The municipality now has the internal capacity to resurface roads and upgrade secondary roads.

Typically, asphalt roads in the Tal Afar cost about $65,000 per kilometer to repair. This plant will reduce the cost to the municipality and create long term employment for workers. Improved roads will help facilitate and encourage trade and commerce.

The cost to complete this project cost $418,000, and funds came from the Commanders Emergency Response Program, which authorizes commanders to rapidly respond to urgent humanitarian, relief, and reconstruction needs in their geographic area of responsibility.

“CERP is a sub category under a funding called Iraqi Reconstruction & Relief Effort,” said Lisa Lawson, project engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region North. “This is what Congress authorized to help restore Iraq.” Lawson is from Tulsa, Okla.

DVIDS
by Sgt. Dennis Gravelle

1st Lt. Devens Vogt, Civil Capacity officer for 14th Engineer Battalion, guides local Dhi Qar politicians and Provincial Council members on a tour of the Nasiriyah Tree Nursery during its opening ceremony, March 26. The nursery has two greenhouses and a fenced-off area for growing trees. Photo by Pfc. Rebekah Lampman

Baseel Ali, Deputy Director of Agriculture for the Dhi Qar province, cut a red ribbon at the Nasiriyah Tree Nursery to officially open the facility March 26.

Just four months earlier, this location was an empty dirt and gravel lot. Today, it consists of two greenhouses used for planting vegetables and a fenced-off area for growing trees.

“This will support our province and will greatly benefit us,” said the Director of Agriculture, Abdul Salih. “We thank the Americans for everything they’ve done.”

The nursery can produce up to 50,000 vegetable and 4,000 tree seedlings each year. Once these seedlings reach their maximum growth, they’re sold to local farmers.

“This is an incredibly rewarding position,” said 1st Lt. Devens Vogt, civil capacity officer for 14th Engineer Battalion. “I feel it is a rare opportunity to be able to directly affect hundreds of thousands of people’s lives on a daily basis.”

The 14th Eng. Bn. partnered with 555th Eng. Bn. to oversee the project, which was funded by the Commander’s Emergency Response Program, a U.S. government-funded incentive to provide assistance to the Iraqis.

The two engineer battalions are also teaming up to build bee and date farms to produce honey and fruit next to the nursery.

“This is another way we can leave a proud and lasting impression,” said Vogt. “We have to be able to foster a credible relationship with our young Iraqi construction engineers.”

For the citizens of Nasiriyah, the nursery means more than just planting trees and vegetables; they’re planting the hope of a better life in southern Iraq.

DVIDS