3-1 Cavalry tests water at new well in al Nijadat

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Sean Riley | A 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment Soldier passes out backpacks to local children as civil affairs Soldiers inspect and test a new well near the town of al Nijadat, Iraq, July 25.  

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, IRAQ

08.01.2007

Story by Staff Sgt. Sean Riley 

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

By Staff Sgt. Sean Riley
3rd HBCT Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq - Soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, along with a Fort Bragg Civil Affairs team, visited the town of al Nijadat to inspect a recently-installed fresh water well July 25.

The well is the product of joint efforts by 3-1 Cav. Soldiers and local government officials. After meeting with the town council, Soldiers from Company A, 97th Civil Affairs Battalion learned fresh water was a major concern for al Nijadat residents.

"We were delivering water by truck," said 1st Lt. Jeffrey Ritter, of Waterloo, Iowa, civil affairs liaison and staff officer for 3rd Squadron. "The well is a near-to-long term solution, at least until the Sabbah Nissan pumping station is completed."

The Sabbah Nissan pumping station, another 3rd Brigade Combat Team project, is in the planning phase. The proposed $6.3 million irrigation pump station will bring water as far out as al Nijadat, said Maj. Brad Domby, Weiser, Idaho, 3rd Brigade Combat Team project manager.

Ritter said a major challenge was connecting the pump to a power source.

"We had to locate the well in a central location, to keep it available for the public," Ritter said. "There are only two power lines in the city. They had to run cable from the lines to a generator, then to the pump."

The generator is there to provide power when electricity from the town is unavailable.

"This way," Ritter said, "they can get water any time they want."

While others inspected the well, members of the team handed out backpacks, women's and children's shoes to local citizens.

The well was tested for water purity and is providing clean drinking water. The 3-1 Cavalry is assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Benning, Ga. The 3rd BCT has been deployed to Iraq since March.

• Date Taken: 08.01.2007
• Date Posted: 08.01.2007 16:58
• Story ID: 11582
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, IQ