WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug.4, 2004) -- The Mesopotamian Marshlands, considered by many to be the cradle of civilization, were largely drained by Saddam Hussein’s regime. Now the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is helping restore the historic wetlands.

Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the marshes were once among the world's largest wetlands. Within this 8,000-square-miles area, the 5,000-year-old culture of the Madan, or Marsh Arabs, developed the first alphabet.

Before their destruction, the Mesopotamian Marshlands spanned an area roughly twice the size of the Florida Everglades. They were known for their biodiversity and cultural richness. The marshes were home to millions of birds, fish spawning and nursery areas and various agricultural crops. The devastation seen under the hand of the former regime has been compared to the deforestation of the Amazon.

After putting down a rebellion by the Marsh Arabs at the end of the Gulf War, the Iraqi government set its full wrath upon the group, burning towns, killing livestock and making the drainage of the marshlands a top priority. An estimated 150,000 people were displaced during this time; some were forced to relocate as many as 18 times.

By 1999, the marshlands had been reduced to 7 percent of their original state. Many endemic species were lost, a natural filter system for waste and pollutants into rivers and the Persian Gulf was devastated, and an entire culture rich in history was destroyed. The area was in dire need of structure and rebuilding efforts.

The U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, an independent federal government agency that funds development projects in many countries, is leading the effort to restore these marshlands.

USAID and the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, are developing a water management model that will aid efforts to reconstruct Iraq's historic water flow system and restore Iraq's marshes.

To help the remaining marshland population and support other U.S. efforts to secure Iraq's infrastructure, USAID turned to the Corps' Hydrologic Engineering Center for its expertise in modeling water management in large watershed systems. HEC is responding by developing a Reservoir-Simulation Model. This model will provide real-time simulation to help U.S. officials and the new Iraqi leadership make smart operational decisions to maintain and update the country's complex system of dams and canals.

"After the invasion, Iraq's dam and infrastructure system was intact, but the institution was in disarray," said HEC Director Darryl Davis. "The Ministry of Water's headquarters building was burned and their ability to manage the complex system of dams and barrages was significantly compromised. This model will provide modern technology for use in both day-to-day operation decisions, and long-term water resource management studies."



A training program between HEC and the Ministry of Water Resources will integrate the model into Iraqi officials' decision-making process. Once put in place, officials said the timely data from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers it provides can be used by other organizations.

"We expect this model to have far-reaching impacts," said Dan Barcellos, chief of water management systems at HEC. "Not only will it support the restoration efforts in the Iraqi marshlands, but we anticipate its use to support water management operations and studies for water resources planning and development."

HEC is developing the Reservoir-Simulation Model in two phases.

Initially, a preliminary water balance model will cover the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to the lowest barrage in the system, considerably above the delta region. The first phase established a relationship between HEC and other Iraqi groups working with the marshlands. It also successfully developed the concept of the water control system with the help of two skilled MoWR engineers who contributed field experience and local knowledge to the team while working with HEC on site in Davis, Calif. Phase 1 was completed in November 2003.

The second phase of development is underway and is expected to be complete by the end of the year. Phase 2 will develop the model in more detail and extend the lower boundary to marsh areas. It will also add structure and develop data sets useful in long range planning and studies of alternative operations.

"The Phase 2 model will provide the Ministry with the capability to make detailed assessments of the consequence of alternative reservoir releases prior to issuing operation instructions to dam operators," said Davis. "Also, other Iraqi agencies, such as the Ministry of Environment, and nongovernmental agencies interested in Marsh restoration, such as the U.S.–based Iraq Foundation, will be able to use the model in support of their studies and activities."

The partnership between the Army Corps of Engineers and USAID is designed to eventually restore the Mesopotamian Marshland ecosystem through improved management of the nation's water infrastructures and natural resources, officials said.

(Editor's note: Nani Gould works in the Public Affairs Office at the Army Envirnmental Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.)