Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding is beginning to make its way onto more jobsites, including a water project in New Mexico.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation selected Jacobs to design and build the San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant in northwest New Mexico, according to a news release. At $267 million, the project aims to provide clean water to over 250,000 people across 43 Navajo chapters.
The plant addresses a long-standing water accessibility challenge in the region, said Greg Fischer, Jacobs’ vice president of design-build, operations management and facilities services. Currently, the Navajo Nation estimates over a third of households rely on hauling water to meet their daily needs, according to the release.
“Critical to improving the living conditions for Navajo communities, in addition to basic drinking water, this plant will provide water for commercial and retail businesses, health care, schools and other facilities,” said Fischer. “Our approach provides the Bureau of Reclamation a more efficient way of delivering critical infrastructure necessary to support clean, reliable, long-term water for this community.”
Jacobs will design and build the plant to initially treat up to 18.8 million gallons of water per day, with future expansion to double that capacity. The project includes commissioning of the San Juan Lateral distribution system and will involve ongoing operations and maintenance.
The San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant is a major component of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply project. The project, funded in part by the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund through the IIJA, provides safe drinking water to Navajo communities in Gallup, New Mexico, and Window Rock, Arizona.
Once complete, the water supply facility will divert 37,761 acre-feet of water annually from the San Juan River Basin. Jacobs will deliver two water treatment plants, along with nearly 300 miles of pipelines, 19 pumping plants and several storage tanks, according to the release.
Jacobs plans to begin initial water deliveries by late 2028 and expects to complete the entire project by the end of 2029.
Water projects continue to be a fundamental part of Jacobs’ portfolio, said CEO Bob Pragada during the company’s most recent earnings call. Other recent awards in the sector include the Kranji water reclamation plant in Singapore, wastewater treatment plants in Miami and ongoing work in Onondaga County, New York.