Bechtel International Systems Inc., (Bechtel) has completed the reconstruction of more than 14 water treatment plants (WTPs) that would serve approximately 1.3 million people in Basrah and the Southern Region (Basrah) in Iraq. The post-war reconstruction work in Iraq dwarfs other associated efforts such as Operation and Maintenance (O&M), and it was identified quite early on that educating and training the plant operators posed unique challenges. Neglected for years like most other Iraq’s utilities, Basrah Water Directorate has got now a badly-needed O&M program combined with an aggressive operator training campaign. The tasks associated with the startup of these WTPs, followed by educating the plant supervisors and the operators of the importance of O&M and sequencing a robust training program - all in compliance with Bechtel Environmental Safety & Health (ES&H) requirements, are discussed in this seminar.