Military

CALL Newsletter 04-13 Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) CAAT II Initial Impressions Report (IIR)

Observation Synopsis

During initial operations near BaQubah in the Diyalah Region, drilling operations were required for water resourcing. Water was pulled from fewer than 30 meters below ground surface. Within weeks of continuous operation, the extreme saline content of the water began to degrade production of purified water. Patches of a white powdery substance was evident on the ground surface in the surrounding drilling area. Cartridge filters were being replaced on a daily basis, and a white corrosion and rust build-up were beginning to affect the basket strainers, welding seams, threaded joints, and small connections and fittings; the backwash airline pipes needed to be replaced. Further examination revealed the manufacturer had integrated stainless steel parts with non-stainless steel parts. This began to have a lateral effect on stainless parts due to extreme rust and corrosion build-up on the non-stainless steel parts. Eventually, a surface water resource was located, and ROWPU operations were moved and re-established. Below-surface depth guidance for future water drilling was determined not to be fewer than 300 feet in certain regions to reduce saline content.

Lessons Learned

• Water pulled from fewer than 30 meters in some parts of the Diyalah Region of Iraq has an excessive concentration of saline.
• Extreme saline content of the water degraded production of purified water and damaged component parts of the ROWPU.

DOTMLPF Implications

Doctrine: When conducting below-surface water collection operations, drilling should not be fewer than 300 feet below the surface in high saline areas.

Materiel: All component parts in the ROWPU should be either stainless steel or PVC material. Non-stainless steel should not be authorized.

Examples of corrosive effects from extreme saline content on ROWPU parts.

Table of Supporting Observations

Table of Contents

Chapter 4-Topic C-Subtopic 2: Laundry Advanced System (LADS) Improvements over M-85 Laundry Trailer

Chapter 4-Topic D: CSS C3I