Bids were solicited July 19 for the first and largest of five contracts for construction of a new water supply system from the Sacramento River. The Freeport Regional Water Authority, Sacramento, Calif., will open the bids Oct. 20 for a new 185-million-gallon-per-day intake facility, pump station and a half-mile of welded steel pipe near the town of Freeport, Calif. The cost is estimated between $65 and $85 million. FRWA later will solicit bids to construct 18 miles of 84-in.-dia welded steel pipeline to the Folsom South Canal, a fish screen at the intake, eight 2,000-hp pumps, auxiliary facilities, an electrical substation, surge tanks, and sedimentation basins. A water-treatment plant to be built by the Sacramento County Water Agency will bring the total cost for the regional project to about $700 million. CH2M Hill, Denver, is design engineer for the first contract.