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DNR OFFICIALS WORK WITH IRAQI MINISTER OF WATER

The Minister of Water Resources (MWR) for Iraq will visit the U.S. and Louisiana beginning July 1st, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). As sponsors of the trip, USAID officials said the purpose of the study tour is to help the Iraqi Water Resources agency to better manage their water resources as they learn and compile information while meeting in Washington, D.C., Mississippi, and Louisiana. Additionally, the dignitaries have traveled to show their gratitude to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for technical support and training since the U.S. involvement in the Iraqi conflict.

The water management policies and restoration efforts in the Mississippi River basin and the associated wetlands of coastal Louisiana are comparable to the Tigris – Euphrates river basin and the Mesopotamia marshlands.

The study tour will include visits to the USACE facilities at the Mississippi River Valley Division and theEngineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, MS, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette and the USACE New Orleans District Office.

Iraqi Minister Dr. Adul Latif Jamal Rashid will be accompanied by Dr. Edwin Theriot, Senior Technical Advisor of the USACE and two key MWR staff. Other visitors include the project manager for USAID’s Marshland Restoration and representatives from the USGS.

DNR Secretary Scott Angelle and Deputy Secretary Randy Hanchey are scheduled to meet with the group on July 7th.

	DNR officials and coastal specialists met at the LSU Lod Cook Alumni Building for discussion and presentation on July 7. From left to right are Dr. Ed Theriot (Director of Environmental Laboratory and Senior Advisor for the Engineer Reseach and Development Center with the US Army Corps of Engineers), Doug Pool (Agriculture, Irrigation and Environment Specialist), Randy Hanchey (DNR Deputy Secretary), Scott Angelle (DNR Secretary) and Dr. Laif Rashid (Iraqi Minister of Water Resources).
	On July 8, Dr. Ed Theriot (Director of Environmental Laboratory and Senior Advisor for the Engineer Research and Development Center with the US Army Corps of Engineers), Dr. Laif Rashid (Iraqi Minister of Water Resources) and Ted Falgout (Executive Director of Port Fourchon) spent time at the Port Fourchon facilities.

Editors: For more information, contact the DNR Public Information Office at 225-342-8955.