The engineering and consultancy group Jacobs has secured two high profile public sector contracts in the United States, spanning water reuse in California and coastal flood protection along the Texas Gulf Coast.
In California, Jacobs has been selected by the City of Santa Monica to operate and maintain the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project, known as SWIP, under a new five year contract. The facility is a one million gallon per day underground advanced water treatment plant designed to reduce the city’s reliance on imported water from Northern California and the Colorado River.
SWIP treats municipal wastewater, stormwater and urban runoff using advanced treatment processes, with the purified water distributed for indirect potable reuse through groundwater injection, landscape irrigation and other non potable uses. Jacobs will be responsible for day to day operations, regulatory compliance and performance monitoring, while supporting the city’s longer term ambition to transition the plant to direct potable reuse.
“As one of the most beloved coastal cities in Los Angeles County, Santa Monica is setting the standard for sustainable and locally sourced water,” said Paul Rheault, vice president of operations at Jacobs. “We look forward to working alongside the city and operating their advanced water treatment facility while supporting their efforts to have the plant become a direct potable reuse (DPR) facility.”
Sunny Wang, Santa Monica’s water utilities manager, said the project was central to the city’s strategy. “The SWIP has been a cornerstone project in the city’s commitment to ensuring a reliable, climate resilient water supply for our community. We are excited about our partnership with Jacobs to maintain reliable operations at SWIP and to further advanced shared goals around performance, innovation and operational excellence.”
Separately, Jacobs has also been chosen by the Gulf Coast Protection District to lead the engineering design of a major coastal storm surge barrier along the Texas Gulf Coast. Known as the Bolivar Roads Gate System, or The Gate, the project forms a central element of the wider Coastal Texas Project and is expected to be among the largest storm surge barrier systems in the world.
The gate system will span Bolivar Roads, the narrow strait linking the Gulf of Mexico with Galveston Bay, and is intended to protect coastal communities, infrastructure and ecosystems from hurricanes and rising sea levels. Once completed, it is expected to help safeguard more than six million residents and protect an estimated $800 billion in regional assets, while allowing continued operations along the Houston Ship Channel.
“This is a generational investment in Texas’ future,” said Eva Wood, executive vice president at Jacobs. “By leveraging our experience on the world’s most complex surge barrier programs, we’re delivering a system designed to focus on the Gulf Coast’s resilience to extreme weather events, while keeping the Houston Ship Channel open for commerce.”
The Coastal Texas Project is being delivered in partnership with the Gulf Coast Protection District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas General Land Office, with close to $1 billion in state funding. Jacobs’ role will include integrating advanced sector gates, digital modelling and long term operational planning to ensure reliability and resilience.
