Infrastructure
Jacobs Picked to Design $27M Puerto Rico Wastewater Project
FEMA-funded replacement of 1.1-mile outfall pipeline aims to improve coastal water quality
Aerial view of PRASA’s Mayagüez Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, where Jacobs will design a 1.1-mile ocean outfall replacement damaged during Hurricane María.
Jacobs announced Sept. 17 it has been selected by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) to design the $26.99-million replacement of the Mayagüez Ocean Outfall, where the existing pipeline was heavily damaged during Hurricane María in 2017.
The project entails building a 1.1-mile pipeline that conveys treated effluent from the Mayagüez Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant to Atlantic Class SB waters. The existing outfall is being rebuilt as part of PRASA’s FEMA Accelerated Award Strategy (FAASt) program to harden critical water assets.
Katus Watson, Jacobs’ executive vice president, noted the design will use “advanced oceanographic and geotechnical analysis, diffuser optimization and both trenchless and open-cut construction strategies” to ensure the system can withstand future storms and seismic activity.
“This project … can help protect communities and ecosystems in the face of climate-driven challenges,” Watson added in a statement.
EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for the facility (PR0023795), finalized in July 2025, sets effluent limitations and monitoring requirements for Outfall 001. The fact sheet specifies a rated capacity of 28 million gallons per day of secondary treatment, serving Mayagüez, Cabo Rojo, Añasco and Hormigueros.
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According to PRASA’s FAASt workplan, the Mayagüez outfall rehabilitation (Project CIP.5509105) notes an architecture-and-engineering start date in the first quarter of 2023, reflecting when PRASA sequenced the project into its recovery pipeline.
Jacobs’ award, announced this month, marks the formal start of design delivery. PRASA remains the owner and NPDES permit holder.
Checks, Scope and Verifications
To validate dilution modeling, the permit mandates oceanographic sampling and dye studies to confirm mixing-zone performance. A companion Ocean Discharge Criteria evaluation viewed by ENR concluded the replacement would not adversely affect federally listed species or habitat, provided all conditions are met.
The replacement project carries measurable metrics underscoring its scale and regulatory scope. According to EPA’s 2025 NPDES permit, the Mayagüez facility’s 28-mgd rated capacity supports four municipalities, while the damaged outfall extends 1.1 miles into Class SB waters.
The plan places ocean outfalls among 16 priority asset categories sequenced for near- to long-term execution under Section 428 obligations. Jacobs, which already manages PRASA’s capital program, highlights the firm’s prior work at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and resilience initiatives in San Francisco and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Infographic highlights project scope for the Mayagüez Ocean Outfall replacement, including pipeline length, 28-mgd treatment capacity, EPA permit requirements, and $26.99-million FEMA FAASt funding allocation.
Independent reviews have underscored the urgency of hardening Puerto Rico’s water systems. EPA’s Office of Inspector General reported in 2020 that post-hurricane response exposed gaps in wastewater resilience.
RAND’s 2020 assessment recommended accelerated investment in redundancy, while the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA)—a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy and policy group representing municipal clean water utilities—reported that fewer than half of wastewater plants were operational weeks after María struck.
Those vulnerabilities frame the outfall’s replacement as part of a larger push to secure reliable wastewater service.
Jacobs says it plans to proceed with permitting and detailed design in coordination with PRASA and regulators. Key milestones include diffuser alignment and construction method decisions, completion of environmental reviews, and EPA-mandated dye and oceanographic studies.
Final delivery choices, balancing trenchless installation against open-cut methods, will determine both environmental impacts and cost.
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Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR).
Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction and community issues, including finance, law and real estate. He has reported for Adweek and the San Diego Daily Transcript and led a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif. He served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and as managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. At Engineering News-Record, Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure and megaprojects, regulatory developments and business trends across the U.S. and global construction sectors.
email: gottliebb@enr.com | office: (248) 786-1591
