A couple of major contractors celebrated a ceremonial opening of the Torrance Groundwater Desalter Expansion Project in California, according to a June 19 press release.
In December 2024, the Southern California Water Reclamation District tapped a joint venture of Jacobs and McCarthy Building Cos. to deliver the $160 million water infrastructure project under a progressive design-build contract. Since then, the value of the project has increased to approximately $185 million, McCarthy confirmed to Construction Dive.
Construction is underway, according to McCarthy, and will nearly double the facility’s potable water production capacity, George Chen, mayor of Torrance, Calif., said in the statement.
Once completed, the facility will be able to produce up to 7,100 acre feet, or approximately 2.3 billion gallons, of potable water annually, according to the release. This will significantly reduce southern Los Angeles County’s reliance on imported water, Sagrado Sparks, McCarthy’s vice president of operations, said in the statement.
“As progressive design-build partners, we are excited to help bring this solution to the Torrance community, strengthening the region’s supply of clean drinking water and advancing Southern California’s water resilience efforts,” said Sparks.
To date, WRD has secured more than $82 million in grants and low-interest loans to finance the project, according to the release. A major investment comes from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Other sources include:
- WaterSMART desalination projects of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act of the US Bureau of Reclamation.
- Water Desalination Grant from the California Department of Water Resources.
- Bonneville Environmental Foundation Water Business Management Program.
The expansion, part of WRD’s brackish groundwater reclamation program, will also create additional groundwater storage capacity in the West Coast Basin.
“This is how communities rise to water challenges,” said Tom Meinhart, executive vice president of Jacobs, in the statement.
The project represents WRD’s largest capital project in its history, Stephan Tucker, director general of the groundwater agency, said in the release. Jacobs and McCarthy’s team expect substantial completion by October 2028 and the facility to be operational in 2029.
