NationStates Jolt Archive

Not that any of this should be a surprise any more but the troops got shit on again by Halliburton. (http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/01/22/halliburton_cited_in_iraq_contamination/)
WASHINGTON --Troops and civilians at a U.S. military base in Iraq were exposed to contaminated water last year and employees for the responsible contractor, Halliburton, couldn't get their company to inform camp residents, according to interviews and internal company documents.

Halliburton, the company formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, disputes the allegations about water problems at Camp Junction City, in Ramadi, even though they were made by its own employees and documented in company e-mails.

"We exposed a base camp population (military and civilian) to a water source that was not treated," said a July 15, 2005, memo written by William Granger, the official for Halliburton's KBR subsidiary who was in charge of water quality in Iraq and Kuwait.

"The level of contamination was roughly 2x the normal contamination of untreated water from the Euphrates River," Granger wrote in one of several documents. The Associated Press obtained the documents from Senate Democrats who are holding a public inquiry into the allegations Monday....

The first memo on the problem -- written by Carter to Halliburton officials on March 24, 2005 -- was an "incident report" from tests Carter performed the previous day.

"It is my opinion that the water source is without question contaminated with numerous micro-organisms, including Coliform bacteria," Carter wrote. "There is little doubt that raw sewage is routinely dumped upstream of intake much less than the required 2 mile distance.

"Therefore, it is my conclusion that chlorination of our water tanks while certainly beneficial is not sufficient protection from parasitic exposure."

Carter said he resigned in early April after Halliburton officials did not take any action to inform the camp population.
I fully expect that absolutely no action will be taken against Halliburton by the party in charge of the government, despite their claims that they support the troops.

that's what happends when you give no bid contracts

that's what happends when you give no bid contracts
Or when you have no real oversight. That's the real problem--none of the people in charge has any fear that they'll be held accountable, and why should they? The VP is their former CEO, and their party is in charge of oversight. It's a return of the Gilded Age when robber barons bragged that they owned the Congress.

Or when you have no real oversight. That's the real problem--none of the people in charge has any fear that they'll be held accountable, and why should they? The VP is their former CEO, and their party is in charge of oversight. It's a return of the Gilded Age when robber barons bragged that they owned the Congress.
To find fault because this is a no-bid contract to Haliburton is the most childish thing I've seen done today. How many times do city water supplies have contamination problems? In Atlanta, it happens after almost every heavy rain.

When I was in Desert Storm, we did it to ourselves -- the Marine Corps, I mean. Someone put too much chlorine in the water and bingo, instant diarrhea(sp?). In another incident, a cook was court-martialed after it was discovered he didn't wash dishes with hot water or soap. Again, more diarrhea. At work, and fairly recently, we fired a janitor for using the same wash water to clean tables and toilets in the break room.

This shit just happens. Imagine if we had hired the French to handle sanitation -- it would have been the merde du jour.

Well, it is entirely possible that there was an error at some point in the logistics system that sent untreated water (intended for non-consumption uses) rather than treated water to that base.

This could be just an error, however, that that doesn't excuse them for it. In a desert (of all things) war zone, the soliders should never have to worry about the safety of their water supply.

I don't know what should be done about it, since there aren't any specifics.

When I was in Desert Storm, we did it to ourselves -- the Marine Corps, I mean. Someone put too much chlorine in the water and bingo, instant diarrhea(sp?). In another incident, a cook was court-martialed after it was discovered he didn't wash dishes with hot water or soap. Again, more diarrhea. At work, and fairly recently, we fired a janitor for using the same wash water to clean tables and toilets in the break room.
Because these examples are both perfectly equivalent to a third-party company sneaking in water that they knew was contaminated but adamently deny even in the face of their own employees saying that the water was ridiculously contaminated. You are trying far too hard to be partisan.

Are you on the payroll?

To find fault because this is a no-bid contract to Haliburton is the most childish thing I've seen done today. How many times do city water supplies have contamination problems? In Atlanta, it happens after almost every heavy rain.

When I was in Desert Storm, we did it to ourselves -- the Marine Corps, I mean. Someone put too much chlorine in the water and bingo, instant diarrhea(sp?). In another incident, a cook was court-martialed after it was discovered he didn't wash dishes with hot water or soap. Again, more diarrhea. At work, and fairly recently, we fired a janitor for using the same wash water to clean tables and toilets in the break room.

This shit just happens. Imagine if we had hired the French to handle sanitation -- it would have been the merde du jour.
It's not the no-bid part that I have a problem with so much as it's the lack of oversight. The article notes that the contamination went on for a year--this wasn't a one-time oopsie, which would certainly be excusable. This part of the story quotes a Halliburton employee:Granger's July 15 memo said the exposure had gone on for "possibly a year" and added, "I am not sure if any attempt to notify the exposed population was ever made."

Don't get me wrong--I think the no-bid contracts are a mistake, but I'm not saying they're to blame for this kind of stuff. Lack of oversight is blame for this.

As usual, there's more to the story. Turns out this wasn't drinking water, but as Vidalia guessed, non-potable water for other uses. Read on, Haliburton-phobics,


While bottled water was available for drinking, the contaminated water was used for virtually everything else, including handwashing, laundry, bathing and making coffee, said water expert Ben Carter of Cedar City, Utah.

Another former Halliburton employee who worked at the base, Ken May of Louisville, said there were numerous instances of diarrhea and stomach cramps -- problems he also suffered.

A spokeswoman for Halliburton said its own inspection found neither contaminated water nor medical evidence to substantiate reports of illnesses at the base. The company now operates its own water treatment plant there, spokeswoman Melissa Norcross said.

A military medical unit that visited Camp Ramadi in mid-April found nothing out of the ordinary in terms of water quality, said Marine Corps Maj. Tim Keefe, a military spokesman. Water-quality testing records from May 23 show the water within normal parameters, he said.

"The allegations appear not to have merit," Keefe said.


Things other than bad water can cause stomach ailments, as I have pointed out. Other sources of germs include lettuce from the Nile River delta. I have suffered ills from that vegetable, as well. I think Mr. Carter is just a little unhappy with something, but it doesn't seem as though it should be bad water.

It's not the no-bid part that I have a problem with so much as it's the lack of oversight. The article notes that the contamination went on for a year--this wasn't a one-time oopsie, which would certainly be excusable. This part of the story quotes a Halliburton employee:

Don't get me wrong--I think the no-bid contracts are a mistake, but I'm not saying they're to blame for this kind of stuff. Lack of oversight is blame for this.
So we have a couple of guys from Halliburton that tell us there was a problem. And now we find that others from the same company couldn't duplicate it. Maybe that's the reason for inaction, there was no problem.

Anyhow, it appears that there is another water treatment plant operating, built and operated by Halliburton. One wonders what they were using before.

My advice to anyone in any third world country is "Don't drink the water". If you do, have plent of Cipro handy.

you guys are just bitter. are that still the aftereffects of P.E.S.T. or are you allways in this mood? look at this and be happy for a change
http://ichart.finance.yahoo.com/z?s=HAL&t=2y&q=c&l=off&z=l&p=s

you guys are just bitter. are that still the aftereffects of P.E.S.T. or are you allways in this mood? look at this and be happy for a changehttp://ichart.finance.yahoo.com/z?s=HAL&t=2y&q=c&l=off&z=l&p=s
I really have no idea why I didn't buy into their stock when these contracts were awarded. Stupid, stupid, stupid... I'd have had that lake house in North Georgia by now.

you guys are just bitter. are that still the aftereffects of P.E.S.T. or are you allways in this mood? look at this and be happy for a change
http://ichart.finance.yahoo.com/z?s=HAL&t=2y&q=c&l=off&z=l&p=s

I made $1500 dollars on Friday thanks to its $3.52 bounce...

This shit just happens. Imagine if we had hired the French to handle sanitation -- it would have been the merde du jour.
Where did this come from? It just seems to be randomly inserted into your post.

Does everything that's tangentially connected to the Iraq war have to include some xenophobic anti-French bullshit? This is why most people in the world take such a negative view of Bush supporters. All you can do is hate, hate, and hate some more.

Besides, since when are you obligated to defend Halliburton? If this crap happens they must be held accountable.

Where did this come from? It just seems to be randomly inserted into your post.

Does everything that's tangentially connected to the Iraq war have to include some xenophobic anti-French bullshit? This is why most people in the world take such a negative view of Bush supporters. All you can do is hate, hate, and hate some more.

Besides, since when are you obligated to defend Halliburton? If this crap happens they must be held accountable.
It was pretty random, but not without a little thought. In the early days of the post-war reconstruction, the U.S. was heavily criticized for not allowing bids from the 'weasel' nations. I was just engaging in a little conjecture about what would have happened if the French had been allowed to bid.

On the other hand, if the French had played by the UN rules during the years preceeding the invasion, there might not have been the need for force. Of course, the Russians and Germans are just as guilty of profiting from Saddam's Iraq, but joking about them doesn't seem to provoke the same response.

It was pretty random, but not without a little thought. In the early days of the post-war reconstruction, the U.S. was heavily criticized for not allowing bids from the 'weasel' nations. I was just engaging in a little conjecture about what would have happened if the French had been allowed to bid.

On the other hand, if the French had played by the UN rules during the years preceeding the invasion, there might not have been the need for force. Of course, the Russians and Germans are just as guilty of profiting from Saddam's Iraq, but joking about them doesn't seem to provoke the same response.

Of course, you don't mention the United states, who's companies are responsible for the largest money gained illegally in the food for oil scandal.

But of course, the governments of those other countries are fully responsible for misbehaving companies, and ours aren't. Like haliburton.