Jacobs-McCarthy JV nabs $160M project in growing water sector

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Award: Groundwater desalter expansion
Value: $160 million
Location: Torrance, California
Client: Water Replenishment District of Southern California

Jacobs and McCarthy Building Cos. are diving deeper into the water sector through a joint venture in the Golden State.

The Water Replenishment District of Southern California awarded a $160 million design-build contract to a JV comprising Dallas-based Jacobs and St. Louis-based McCarthy for the Torrance Groundwater Desalter expansion, according to a Nov. 25 news release.

The project will expand the capacity of the Robert W. Goldsworthy Desalter facility to treat up to 9 million gallons per day of additional drinking water. The facility will use reverse osmosis membrane technology to remove salts from the extracted groundwater and produce high-quality drinking water, according to the news release.

The initiative supports WRD’s Brackish Groundwater Reclamation Program and its broader Win 4 All initiative aimed at creating resilient local water supplies. Jacobs highlighted the project’s progressive design-build contract as a way to improve efficiency and control costs.

“The progressive design-build delivery model allows us to work collaboratively to minimize cost, reduce risk, streamline construction and improve schedule performance to fast track the completion of this state-of-the-art facility,” said Katus Watson, senior vice president at Jacobs, in the release.

The scope of work also includes new groundwater extraction wells and raw water pipelines. The Jacobs-McCarthy team expects the facility to reach full-scale production by 2027, according to the release.

The award builds on Jacobs’ momentum in the water sector, as highlighted during its recent fourth quarter report. Water projects drove double-digit growth across Jacobs’ portfolio, said CEO Bob Pragada during the firm’s earnings call.