Jacobs announced on September 17 that it has been selected by the aqueduct and sewerage water of Puerto Rico (PLASA) to design the replacement of $ 26.99 million from the output of the Mayagüez Ocean, where the existing pipeline was Very damaged during hurricane María in 2017.
The project involves the construction of a 1.1 -mile pipeline that transmits a effluent treaty from the Mayagüez regional wastewater treatment plant to the SB waters of the Atlantic class. The existing departure is being rebuilt as part of the FEMA ACCENTED AWARDS STRATEGY program to harden the critical water assets.
Katus Watson, executive vice president of Jacobs, said that the design would use “oceanographic and geotechnical advanced analyzes, optimization of diffusers and trenches and open construction strategies” to ensure that the system can support future storms and seismic activities.
“This project … can help protect communities and ecosystems in the face of climate -based challenges,” Watson added in a statement.
The national EPA pollutant removal system for installation (PR0023795), completed in July 2025, establishes limitations of effluents and departure control requirements 001. The facts sheet specifies a nominal capacity of 28 million gallons a day of secondary treatment, which serve Mayagüez, Cabo Rojo, Añasco and Hormigueros.
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According to the Fasa de Prasa work plan, the rehabilitation of Mayagüez Outfall (Project CIP.5509105) indicates a start date of architecture and engineering in the first quarter of 2023, reflecting when Prasa sequenced the project in its recovery channel.
The Jacobs Prize, announced this month, marks the formal start of the delivery of the design. Prasa is still the owner and the head of NPDES.
Check, scope and verifications
To validate the dilution modeling, the permit obliges sampling and oceanographic dye to confirm the performance of the mix area. An evaluation of criteria for unloading the ocean of the accompaniment seen by Enr concluded that the replacement would not negatively affect the species or the habitat listed federally, provided that all the conditions are fulfilled.
The replacement project has measurable metrics that underline its scale and a regulatory scope. According to the EPA’s 2025 NPDES permit, the 28 mgd nominal capacity of the Mayagüez installation supports four municipalities, while the damaged exit extends 1.1 miles in the Class SB waters.
The plan places ocean exits among 16 categories of priority assets sequenced for long -term long -term execution according to article 428 obligations. Jacobs, who already manages the Prrasa’s capital program, highlights the previous work of the signature at Luis Muñoz Marín’s International Airport and resilience initiatives in San Francisco and the Virgin Islands of the United States.
Highlights of the project for the replacement of the output of the Mayagüez Ocean, including the length of the pipeline, the treatment capacity of 28-MGD, the EPA permit requirements and the assignment of FEMA FEAST finance of $ 26.99 million.
Independent reviews have emphasized the urgency of hardening Puerto Rico’s water systems. The EPA’s Office of Inspector General reported in 2020 that the post-Hurrican response exposed the gaps in wastewater resilience.
Rand’s 2020 evaluation recommended redundancy ranked investment, while the National Association of Det Water Agencies (Nacwa) – a Washington, DC -based law -based policies and policies that represented municipal clean water services – reported that less than half of waste water plants were operational weeks after Maria.
These vulnerabilities frame the replacement of the output as part of a greater push to ensure a reliable wastewater service.
Jacobs says he plans to proceed with a permanent and detailed design in Corasa coordination and regulators. Key milestones include decisions on the alignment and method of building diffusers, the completion of environmental reviews and oceanographic oceanographic studies.
Final delivery options, balancing the installation without trenches against open cut methods, will determine both environmental impacts and cost.
