Scientists and engineers from throughout Iraq recently gathered in Boise, Idaho, to learn about the latest technology and methods for managing their nation's water resources.
Twenty employees of the Iraq Ministry of Water Resources completed weeks of hands-on and classroom training provided by colleagues from the Geological Survey (USGS) and other agencies. The USGS, in cooperation with the Department of State's Agency for International Development, hosted the Iraqis at the USGS Idaho Water Science Center in Boise.
The training in Boise was the third phase of a cooperative training and assistance program. In 2005 and 2006, USGS scientists traveled to Iraq to help construct automated streamgaging stations on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
The stations, part of a revitalized hydrologic monitoring network, will allow the Iraq Ministry of Water Resources to track real-time streamflow data much as the USGS does in its vast streamflow monitoring network in the U.S.
The real-time information is critical to effectively managing Iraq's vital water resources, thereby improving the quality of life for millions of Iraqi citizens.
