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Contractors are racing to replace aging water infrastructure across the country with newer systems, especially as number of facilities are facing increasing threats of climate change and chemicals forever.
In California, a team led by Sundt Construction, with Jacobs as project and construction manager and HDR as design engineer, marked the completion of San Mateo Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade for $597 millionaccording to a recent press release. The project is considered the largest infrastructure effort in the city’s history.
The milestone caps a multi-year effort to replace a 75-year-old system in suburban San Francisco, eliminating sewer overflow problems and introducing advanced treatment technologies to the facility. Construction began in 2019 and was completed while the existing plant remained fully operational, according to the release.
The project forms the centerpiece of San Mateo’s $1 billion Clean Water Program, a regional initiative to modernize San Francisco Bay’s sewer infrastructure. The upgraded facility features one of the largest biological pretreatment and clarification systems in the world, which can process up to 78 million gallons per day during heavy rainfall. Contractors also installed a 5.3 million gallon underground flow equalization system at the San Mateo Event Center, one of the largest wastewater storage facilities in California.
Additional upgrades include five-stage biological nutrient removal and membrane bioreactor systems, making the facility one of the most advanced treatment facilities in the state. Crews also completed a LEED Silver-certified administration building, along with new public pathways and landscaping, according to the release.
Wastewater construction projects
The milestone comes as utilities across the country face growing water infrastructure needs. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave America’s wastewater systems a “D+.” Infrastructure Report 2025.
This likely means ample opportunity for contractors in the space to pick up work. Jacobs recently identified water and wastewater construction as a long-cycle growth driver, based on observations during his Call for results for the third fiscal quarter. The Dallas-based firm, which also managed the San Mateo project, recently reported strong boost to your water walletincluding work at the Little Miami Wastewater Treatment Facility in Cincinnati.
