Today, August 26, U.S. Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch, the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Governor of Ararat Marz Vardges Hovakimyan, representatives from the Armenian government, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Fund for Armenian Relief and the Armenian Water Company joined the community members of Qaghtsrashen village to mark the successful completion of the $3.16 million USAID Artashat Water Supply Project and the official hand-over ceremony of three project-supported daily regulating reservoirs to the Armenian Water Company.

By increasing the volume of water delivered by gravity flow from Garni sources, which will be accumulated in new and rehabilitated reservoirs and distributed through new water mains, about 100,000 residents of Artashat town and 27 surrounding villages will benefit from significantly improved safe drinking water supply. The project has also helped reduce energy consumption by eliminating the need to pump water from the deep wells around Artashat.

The two-year project is currently USAID/Armenia’s largest capital investment initiative. Project activities launched in May 2007 and included installation of approximately 50 kilometers of new water mains and distribution lines, construction of a new 4,000 cubic meter reservoir and rehabilitation of two existing ones.

In her opening remarks at the ceremony, Ambassador Yovanovitch noted the social and economic benefits of the project, which will now make safe and clean potable water accessible to target communities in Artashat. “I am confident that the project will significantly improve the health and well-being of people in this area and will support the Government of Armenia in its efforts to foster economic development of the regions outside of Yerevan,” she said.