GALLUP, NM — Jacobs was selected by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to design and build the San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant in northwest New Mexico. At a cost of $267 million, the plant is the largest and most important component of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. Prior to the project’s initiation, more than 40 percent of the Navajo Nation households relied on hauling water to meet their daily needs. When completed, the project will provide water supplies to approximately 250,000 people in 43 Navajo chapters.
Jacobs will design and build the San Juan Lateral Water Treatment Plant to initially treat up to 18.8 million gallons of water per day, with the ability to double the plant’s capacity. At full build-out the plant will be able to serve over 200,000 people. The project also includes commissioning of the San Juan Lateral distribution system, as well as operations and maintenance.
“Critical to improving the living conditions for Navajo communities, in addition to basic drinking water, this plant will provide water for commercial and retail businesses, health care, schools, and other facilities,” said Greg Fischer, Vice President Design-Build and Operations Management and Facilities Services. “Our approach provides the Bureau of Reclamation a more efficient way of delivering critical infrastructure necessary to supply clean, reliable, long-term water for this community.”
When complete, the water supply project will divert 37,761 acre-feet of water annually from the San Juan River Basin through two Jacobs-delivered water treatment plants. Once treated, according to Safe Drinking Water Act standards, the water will be conveyed and delivered through nearly 300 miles of pipeline, 19 pumping plants, and several storage tanks.
The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project provides safe drinking water to Navajo communities in Gallup, New Mexico, and Window Rock, Arizona. The project is 70 percent complete, with initial water deliveries expected in late 2028 and final completion by the end of 2029.
