International Water Resources Consulting
Increasingly, international water resources issues don’t stop at a country’s borders. They impact the stability of governments, lead to refugee migration, and create regional humanitarian and environmental problems that become crises when not resolved in a timely manner. Aqua Strategies has been called upon by multiple international organizations to help study and provide alternatives to solve some of the world’s most pressing international water issues. Our clients include the Department of State, US Agency for International Development, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and major foreign aid contractors. We are currently working in Iraq and have recently worked in Kyrgyzstan and Morocco.
Project: Recommendations for Algal Blooms at the Duhok Water Treatment Plant, Iraq
Client: U.S. Agency for International Development and DAI
Date: 2019 – 2020
Keywords: International; Water Infrastructure Assessments; Water Quality; Engineering Design; Stakeholder Engagement
Aqua Strategies was selected by the U.S. Agency for International Development and DAI to support a program designed to rapidly and visibly improve service delivery from water infrastructure projects provide by the Iraqi government to its citizens. As a result, the firm sent subject matter experts to Iraq multiple times to transfer best practice techniques through workshops, lectures and site-specific projects.
The Duhok Water Treatment Plant, located on the Tigris River above the Mosul Reservoir experienced severe algal blooms beyond the capacity of the plant to properly treat. Aqua Strategies was tasked to work with site engineers to evaluate the current water treatment processes, identify failing treatment components, develop alternative treatment processes, and recommend both short- and long-term solutions.
After intensive on-site evaluations, Aqua Strategies developed a range of both operational and capital equipment solutions to address the algal blooms while balancing considerations of time and cost of deployment. The suite of recommended short-term strategies included: the use of copper sulfate near the river intake; testing for effectiveness of the coagulant aid polyDADMAC; and use of lower gate water intakes during algal blooms. Long-term strategies included feasibility studies for: a retrofit of the clariflocculators with either DAF or Super Pulsators; and, hydrologic study to test the suitability of bank filtration along the sandy banks of the Tigris River.
Aqua Strategies summarized technical considerations, likelihood of success, and both capital and O&M costs in a succinct report provided to DAI and the Iraqi Government. Our subject matter experts remain in contact with the Duhok Water Treatment Plant personnel as recommendations are implemented.
