Joint project lifts economy, skills in Kirkuk Published March 4, 2010 By Master Sgt. Martie Moore 506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNS) -- A joint project involving the 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron readiness management support engineers and a local contractor ishelping Iraqis rebuild their nation on the concepts of learning and earning. The various civil engineers are all involved in upgrading the base sanitary sewer system at Kirkuk Regional Air Base with new or upgraded wastewater lift stations. "The existing concrete tank was set up in an expeditionary manner," said Master Sgt. Michael Wohlfert, the water and fuels systems maintenance superintendent. As part of the lift station project, the crews constructed three new pump stations and modified five others doubling the capacity of the overall system. "The wastewater lift stations are facilities designed to move wastewater from lower to higher elevation through pipes," Sergeant Wohlfert said. Key elements of lift stations include a wastewater receiving well, equipment control system and alarm system. During the process of building the new lift stations, Iraqi men learned or improved their trades as electricians and plumbers. "The Air Force is here to see that the rules and regulations are followed by the contractor," Sergeant Wohlfert said. "Iraq does not have the same building codes as the U.S. The electricians and plumbers are learning new skills on this project. The quality of workmanship has grown in leaps and bounds." The project, in turn, benefits the community by using a local contractor, Sameh Saber, the owner of Black Gold Holding Company. "It's very smooth because we are all on the same page and coordinating work," Mr. Saber said. In addition, Mr. Saber said he sees this as an opportunity to improve the quality of work in Kirkuk. "I talk to college friends who are engineers too," he said. "We are learning more things here to transfer to our own local projects." As American forces drawdown, the new lift station is one more positive sign Iraq has a bright future. "Except for minor things, the reliability of the new sites has been great," Sergeant Wohlfert said. "The more successful this is, the easier (it is) for those who come after us. This is nothing but a success."