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Dutch Water Experts and Water Pumps Arrive in United States


WEBWIRE

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 -- A team of five Dutch experts from the Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) and three mobile water pumps arrived in New Orleans to help pump the flood waters from the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Dutch experts, working under the direction and in close cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will prioritize the needs of the Corps of Engineers and place the pumps where needed. The Dutch experts will also offer assistance on fixing damaged pumps.

The experts and pumps are at the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters in New Orleans. The water pumps can expel 3,000 cubic meters of water an hour and each pump can run for 48 hours continuously on one tank of diesel fuel. Once the Army Corps of Engineers directs the Dutch experts to where the pumps are needed, the pumps can be up and running within three days. Because these pumps are mobile, they can be easily transported to different locations. Dutch water pumps have been used with great success in several countries including Suriname, Poland, and the Netherlands.

At present, the experts from the Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management and the pumps are scheduled to stay in the United States for at least 30 days, however this time could be extended or shortened based on the Army’s needs.

The Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management is responsible for managing the water table in the Netherlands.

The offer of assistance from the Netherlands is due to a Memorandum of Agreement between the Directorate and the Army Corps of Engineers to share expertise in the field of water management, which was signed in May of 2004.

For more information, please contact: Carla Bundy, Royal Netherlands Embassy, 202-274-2632 or Lousanne Kaal, Rijkswaterstaat, 011-31-70-351-9356.



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