Photo courtesy of Jacobs

The future site of the San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant lies in northwest New Mexico.

Jacobs announced that it was selected by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to design and build the San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant in northwest New Mexico.

The $267 million plant is the largest and most important component of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.

Before the project's initiation, more than 40 percent of the Navajo Nation households relied on hauling water to meet their daily needs and, to this day, the Navajo Nation estimates that more than a third of Navajo Nation households rely on hauling water to meet their daily needs.

When completed, the project will provide water supplies to approximately 250,000 people in 43 Navajo chapters.

Jacobs will design and build the San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant to initially treat up to 18.8 million gallons of water per day, with the ability to double the plant's capacity. At full build-out, the plant will be able to serve more than 200,000 people.

The project also includes the commissioning of the San Juan Lateral distribution system and operations and maintenance.

"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," Vice President Design-Build and Operations Management and Facilities Services Greg Fischer said. "Our approach provides the Bureau of Reclamation a more efficient way of delivering critical infrastructure necessary to supply clean, reliable, long-term water for this community."

When complete, the water supply project will divert 37,761 acre-feet of water annually from the San Juan River Basin through two Jacobs-delivered water treatment plants. Once treated according to Safe Drinking Water Act standards, the water will be conveyed and delivered through nearly 300 miles of pipeline, 19 pumping plants and several storage tanks.

"We are extremely pleased to award this contract to Jacobs, who we have a long-standing relationship with, having completed the award-winning Cutter Lateral Water Treatment Plant in 2020. Their consistent quality of work, reliability, dedication and proactive approach make them an invaluable partner," said Reclamation's Four Corners Construction Office Construction Engineer/Manager Bart Deming. "We look forward to continuing our collaboration and delivering safe, reliable drinking water together for the Navajo people."

The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, funded in part by the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides safe drinking water to Navajo communities in Gallup, N.M., and Window Rock, Ariz. The project is 70 percent complete, with initial water deliveries expected in late 2028 and final completion anticipated by the end of 2029.

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