Canal renovation.

Thanks to the Soldiers of the 84th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy), more than 1,100 Iraqis living near Logistics Support Area (LSA) Anaconda will have access to water needed for drinking, raising crops, and watering livestock. The 84th used excavating equipment to clear a stretch of canal near LSA Anaconda in February 2006. The segment has been under the control of coalition forces and off limits to Iraqis since the beginning of the war.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The necessity of fixing the canal came to the attention of U.S. troops when a civilian bicultural advisor, working with the Civil Affairs Office of the 3d Corps Support Command (COSCOM), received a call that a group of Iraqis with a backhoe had shown up--unannounced--at the north entry control point (ECP) of the LSA. The Iraqi group consisted of an engineer, two farmers, and a representative from the Iraqi government who had come to maintain a neglected junction in the canal that needed to be fixed before the beginning of the growing season in late February.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The civilian advisor returned to the site with a security patrol to determine what kind of engineering effort it would take to allow at least some water to flow. He reported that the water in the canal was stagnant and covered with water bottles, concertina wire, and other trash. Realizing the potential humanitarian benefit of cleaning the canal, the advisor contacted the Civil Affairs Office of the 3d COSCOM. After surveying the area, the project was delegated to the 84th Engineer Battalion.

On 11 February, Soldiers arrived to clean the canal, equipped with a dump truck, a hydraulic excavator (HYEX), and a small emplacement excavator (SEE). They used the SEE to move trash away from narrow areas and then scooped it up with the HYEX. At times, temporary dams were created so the Soldiers would have a dry area to work. The number of Soldiers working on the project fluctuated depending on the number of dump trucks needed.

Although the Soldiers of the 84th had two weeks to restore the water to the Iraqi farmers, they completed this within just a few days (see article on page 32). They dredged up about 40 truckloads of stinking, black sludge and hauled it away for disposal, resulting in a deeper canal with clean, flowing water.

The Iraqis got the water they needed to survive and farm, the 84th Engineer Battalion Soldiers gained experience with their excavating equipment, and the 3d COSCOM built a relationship where the Iraqis understand that we're really trying to help them.

Specialist Case is a public affairs specialist for the 207th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment. He is a graduate of the Basic Public Affairs Specialist-Writer course at the Defense Information School, Fort Meade, Maryland.

By Specialist Spencer J. Case