Jacobs has won a contract to deliver engineering design management (EDM) services for the $17bn California WaterFix program, an upgrade to the 50-year-old water infrastructure in California.
Image: Jacobs secures contract for California WaterFix project. Photo: courtesy of Jacobs.
The California WaterFix program will be the state’s largest water conveyance project. It has been designed to enhance the reliability of California’s water supplies and also for protecting and improving the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary.
The initial $93m contract given to Jacobs by the Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority (DCA) will support the preliminary and final engineering design phase of the 15-year program.
Scheduled to begin in early 2019, the California WaterFix project will upgrade outdated and unreliable water infrastructure that is dependent on levees, which allows factors like earthquakes and sea-level rise to affect clean water supply.
After more than 10 years of studies, the water infrastructure upgrade project was selected as the most effective solution to address the water shortages of the state in addition to enhancing environmental conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The project will resolve issues caused by the harmful impacts created by the existing infrastructure diversions near endangered fish habitats and restoring more natural river flows.
The key infrastructure components of the California WaterFix program are three water diversion intakes, each of 3,000 cfs with fish screens, two large tunnels, two large pumping stations, each of 4,500 cfs along with new roads and utility relocations.
Jacobs buildings, infrastructure and advanced facilities COO and president Bob Pragada said: “WaterFix is one of the highest profile infrastructure projects in the nation, essential to secure clean water supplies for 27 million people, area businesses and three million acres of agricultural land.
“Building on our long-term relationship with California water agencies, DCA will tap into our extensive water infrastructure and engineering design experience to begin modernization of California’s water delivery system.”
The California WaterFix project is expected to create around 122,000 jobs for the region. Upon its completion, it will provide water security for 27 million people and thousands of businesses, and irrigation for over three million acres of farmland.