NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of their efforts to ensure New Orleans area utilities infrastructure gets up and running in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and MWH Global, Inc. are putting local contractors and workers back to work.

USACE and MWH are working together to manage and monitor quality control for storm drain debris removal efforts in the New Orleans metro area. This has included urgent post-Katrina work in the west bank parishes and an intensive effort to clean storm drain catch basins ensuring the capability to transport Hurricane Rita's anticipated heavy rains.

To complete the USACE contractual work, MWH has subcontracted with several New Orleans area contractors, and to date has put nearly 70 local workers backto work in the process.

When Katrina struck, MWH was mid-way through a 10-year, $650 millioncontract with the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans. Under that contract, MWH served as program manager for the Sewer System Evaluation and Rehabilitation Program (SSERP), which assessed and repaired the City's aging sewer system -- work for which MWH engaged the services of approximately 35 local consulting firms. Since that contract was suspended to focus on post-hurricane recovery efforts, MWH has continued to turn to those same local contractors first for assistance in performing work under its USACE and other contracts to bring New Orleans metro area utilities infrastructure systems back online.

"MWH is pleased to have the opportunity to work with the Corps in its post-hurricane clean-up and recovery efforts in New Orleans," said Ray Hartley, regional manager for MWH. "During our work as program manager under the City's SSERP contract, MWH identified and worked with many highly qualified small, medium and large local contractors who know how to get the job done on time. Now, when clean-up and recovery requires timely, top-notch efforts from everyone involved, we're doing everything we can to put those same contractors and their employees back to work in getting the New Orleansarea utilities infrastructure systems up and running again."