Jacobs to Operate and Maintain Largest Water Recycling System in Southern California

Rhea-AI Summary

Jacobs (NYSE: J) has secured a five-year contract from the West Basin Municipal Water District to operate and maintain the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility and four other facilities, representing the largest water recycling operation in the U.S. The facility produces 40 million gallons per day and uniquely creates five different types of recycled water. The operation serves nearly 600 connections to municipal, industrial, and commercial businesses across coastal Los Angeles County. Jacobs will implement its Digital OneWater solutions to optimize chemical and power consumption while improving sustainability. The company will leverage its in-house engineering capabilities to enhance infrastructure maintenance and operational efficiency.

Positive

• Secured five-year contract for largest water recycling operation in the U.S.
• Facility serves 600 connections across LA County with 40M gallons daily capacity
• Implementation of Digital OneWater suite to optimize operations and reduce costs
• Opportunity to leverage in-house engineering for infrastructure improvements

Negative

• None.

Insights

Water Infrastructure Specialist

Jacobs secures prestigious five-year contract to operate Southern California's largest water recycling system, strengthening its water infrastructure portfolio.

Jacobs (NYSE: J) has secured a five-year contract to operate and maintain the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility and four additional facilities in Southern California. This system represents the largest water recycling operation of its kind in the United States, producing an impressive 40 million gallons daily across five different types of recycled water.

What makes this facility particularly notable is its unique capability to produce five distinct categories of fit-for-purpose recycled water – specialized formulations for irrigation, cooling towers, seawater intrusion barriers, groundwater recharge, and both low and high-pressure boiler feeds. This versatility demonstrates exceptional engineering sophistication compared to standard recycling facilities.

The operational scope is substantial, encompassing not just the main Edward C. Little facility but also the Hyperion pump station and satellite facilities in Carson, Torrance, and El Segundo. Together, these serve nearly 600 connections to municipal, industrial, and commercial customers throughout coastal Los Angeles County.

Jacobs will implement its proprietary Digital OneWater solutions suite, including Intelligent O&M systems to optimize chemical and power consumption. This approach aligns with the growing water technology trend of digitizing operations to achieve higher efficiency and sustainability metrics while potentially reducing operational costs.

For context, this contract adds to Jacobs' already substantial California water infrastructure portfolio, which includes several advanced water purification projects across the state. With $12 billion in annual revenue and approximately 45,000 employees, Jacobs has positioned itself as a major player in addressing water resilience challenges, particularly in drought-prone regions like Southern California where recycled water represents a critical resource strategy.

Environmental Business Analyst

This contract represents a strategic advancement for Jacobs in the growing water recycling sector. The Edward C. Little facility isn't just significant for its size – producing 40 million gallons daily – but for its technological complexity in creating five distinct water types tailored to specific industrial and municipal applications.

The operational complexity here shouldn't be underestimated. Managing five different water treatment processes at scale requires sophisticated systems integration and expertise that few competitors can match. This positions Jacobs to leverage this credential when pursuing similar contracts in water-stressed regions globally.

Jacobs' implementation of its Digital OneWater platform reflects the industry-wide shift toward smart water management. By optimizing chemical usage and power consumption, this approach addresses two significant operational cost centers in water treatment while improving sustainability metrics – increasingly important for municipal contracts where environmental considerations factor into procurement decisions.

The five-year timeframe provides operational stability and recurring revenue in Jacobs' water portfolio. While the contract value isn't disclosed, O&M agreements for facilities of this scale typically generate consistent margins with opportunities for optimization improvements over time.

This award aligns perfectly with broader market trends as municipalities increasingly invest in water recycling infrastructure amid climate change concerns. Southern California's persistent drought conditions make water resilience projects particularly valuable, and securing this flagship reference site strengthens Jacobs' competitive position for the anticipated wave of water infrastructure investments across the American West and other water-stressed regions.

Delivering five tailored types of recycled water to improve water resilience in the region

DALLAS, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE: J) was awarded a five-year contract by the West Basin Municipal Water District to provide operations and maintenance (O&M) services for the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility and its four other facilities, which comprise the largest water recycling operation of its kind in the U.S.

The Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility produces 40 million gallons per day and is the only treatment facility to exist that produces five different types of fit-for-purpose recycled water – water for irrigation, cooling towers, seawater intrusion barrier, groundwater recharge, and low and high pressure boiler feeds.

"The West Basin Municipal Water District's recycled water treatment facilities, including the Hyperion pump station and satellite facilities in Carson, Torrance and El Segundo, serve nearly 600 connections to municipal, industrial and commercial businesses," said Executive Vice President Greg Fischer. "We will work alongside their team to improve operations while delivering optimal performance for their customers  throughout the coastal Los Angeles County area."

Jacobs' services will include use of its Digital OneWater suite of solutions, including Intelligent O&M, to optimize chemical and power consumption while improving sustainability and operational efficiencies. Jacobs will also use in-house engineering capabilities to streamline projects and elevate critical infrastructure maintenance, improving reliability and providing cost-effective high-quality water. 

"West Basin contributes to one of the most vital roles in the communities we serve: Supplying quality recycled water as a highly sustainable resource to our customers," said West Basin Board President and Division II Director Gloria Gray. "This O&M contract reflects our fervent commitment to investing in the long-term performance of our recycled water treatment facilities. The municipalities and businesses we serve have relied on West Basin's quality of service and product waters for decades. We look forward to working with Jacobs to continue that high-quality production our customers have come to know and trust."

Jacobs has delivered and modernized some of California's largest and most critical water infrastructure projects, including Pure Water Project  for Las Virgenes-Triunfo, Donald C. Tillman Advanced Purification Facility, Soquel Creek Water District's advanced water purification facility, Lincoln-Sewer Management District 1 Wastewater Authority's wastewater treatment and reclamation facility and the Delta Conveyance Project.

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow – delivering outcomes and solutions for the world's most complex challenges. With approximately $12 billion in annual revenue and a team of almost 45,000, we provide end-to-end services in advanced manufacturing, cities & places, energy, environmental, life sciences, transportation and water. From advisory and consulting, feasibility, planning, design, program and lifecycle management, we're creating a more connected and sustainable world. See how at jacobs.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Facebook. 

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that do not directly relate to any historical or current fact. When used herein, words such as "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "plans," "intends," "future," "will," "would," "could," "can," "may," and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations, as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, uncertainties as to, the timing of the award of projects and funding and potential changes to the amounts provided for under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other legislation and executive orders related to governmental spending, including any directive to federal agencies to reduce federal spending or the size of the federal workforce, and changes in U.S. or foreign tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances, including the impact of, and changes to tariffs and retaliatory tariffs or trade policies, that may adversely impact our future financial positions or results of operations, as well as general economic conditions, including inflation and the actions taken by monetary authorities in response to inflation, changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, changes in capital markets, the possibility of a recession or economic downturn, and increased uncertainty and risks, including policy risks and potential civil unrest, relating to the outcome of elections across our key markets and elevated geopolitical tension and conflicts, among others. For a description of these and additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law.  

For press/media inquiries:
media@jacobs.com 

 

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SOURCE Jacobs

FAQ

What is the significance of Jacobs' (NYSE: J) new water recycling contract in Southern California?

Jacobs secured a five-year contract to operate the largest water recycling system in the U.S., including the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility, which produces 40 million gallons daily and uniquely creates five different types of recycled water.

How many facilities will Jacobs (J) operate under the West Basin Municipal Water District contract?

Jacobs will operate and maintain five facilities: the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility and four satellite facilities located in Carson, Torrance, El Segundo, and the Hyperion pump station.

What technologies will Jacobs implement in the Southern California water recycling operations?

Jacobs will implement its Digital OneWater suite of solutions, including Intelligent O&M, to optimize chemical and power consumption while improving sustainability and operational efficiencies.

How many customers does the West Basin Municipal Water District's recycling facility serve?

The facilities serve nearly 600 connections to municipal, industrial, and commercial businesses throughout the coastal Los Angeles County area.

What types of recycled water does the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility produce?

The facility produces five different types of fit-for-purpose recycled water: water for irrigation, cooling towers, seawater intrusion barrier, groundwater recharge, and low and high pressure boiler feeds.