A pair of major contractors held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Torrance Groundwater Desalter expansion project in California, according to a June 19 news release.
In December 2024, the Water Replenishment District of Southern California tapped a joint venture of Jacobs and McCarthy Building Cos. to deliver the $160 million water infrastructure project under a progressive design-build contract. The project value has since jumped to approximately $185 million, McCarthy confirmed to Construction Dive.
Construction is now underway, according to McCarthy, and will nearly double the facility’s drinking water production capacity, George Chen, mayor of Torrance, California, said in the release.
Once complete, the facility will be able to produce up to 7,100 acre-feet, or roughly 2.3 billion gallons, of drinking water annually, according to the release. That will meaningfully reduce southern Los Angeles County’s reliance on imported water, said Sagrado Sparks, vice president of operations at McCarthy, in the release.
“As progressive design-build partners, we are thrilled to help bring this solution to the Torrance community, strengthening the region’s clean drinking water supply and advancing Southern California’s water resiliency efforts,” Sparks said.
To date, WRD has secured over $82 million in grants and low interest loans to fund the project, according to the release. Significant investment has come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Other sources include:
- The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act WaterSMART Desalination Projects.
- The California Department of Water Resources’ Prop 1 Water Desalination Grant.
- The Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s Business for Water Stewardship Program.
The expansion, part of WRD’s Brackish Groundwater Reclamation Program, will also create additional groundwater storage capacity within the West Coast Basin.
“This is how communities get ahead of water challenges,” Tom Meinhart, executive vice president at Jacobs, said in the release.
The project represents WRD’s largest capital project in its history, said Stephan Tucker, general manager at the groundwater agency, in the release. The Jacobs and McCarthy team expect substantial completion in October 2028 and for the facility to be commissioned in 2029.
