By Ray McNulty
926th Eng. Bde. PAO, MND-B
BAGHDAD – Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Talley keynoted a three-day conference on Nov. 12 - 14 on the Military Applications for Emerging Water Technologies convened at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center, Urbana, Ill.
From the headquarters of the 926th Engineer Brigade at Camp Liberty, Baghdad, Brig. Gen. Talley spoke via a live video teleconference from his experience as chief engineer in charge of strategic reconstruction projects in Multi-National Division – Baghdad's operational environment in Iraq.
Talley is commander of the 926th Engineer Brigade, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.
The conference was sponsored by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Research and Development Center, The Center for Advancement of Innovators, The University of Illinois Center of Advancement Materials for the Purification of Water with Systems, a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center, Strategic Environmental Research and Development, Environmental Security Technology Certification Program Office; and the Army Research, environmental science division.
To ensure stewardship of sustainable water use and wise stewardship of valuable resources, according to Jeff Mosher, executive director of the National Water Institute,
"The U.S. military seeks to enhance water access, conservation, and re-use through the proactive implementation of emerging technologies," said Mosher. "This conference was designed to help engineers identify emerging science and technology solutions that can potentially be used to secure the military's future water supplies."
Talley's keynote address focused on the challenges of providing essential services for potable water, raw water, and sewage treatment plants to benefit the people of Baghdad.
"The 8 million residents of Baghdad confront major obstacles regarding regular availability of water including its scarcity and unacceptable levels of salinity, as well as the metropolitan area's aging and disabled infrastructure," said Talley
Little investment or effort has been made to expand or maintain infrastructure since the Iran/Iraq War in the 1980s. That affects the accessibility of potable and raw water, operating sewage treatment systems, and the effectiveness of irrigation systems for cultivation throughout Greater Baghdad, explained Talley.
"The mission of coalition forces and the 926th Engineer Brigade is to enable the government of Iraq to provide substantial upgrades of all water-related services."