Jacobs Associates Selected for Catskill Aqueduct Repair Project

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) recently selected Jacobs Associates to provide design and engineering services for the Catskill Aqueduct Repair and Rehabilitation project. This win, along with the firm’s current work on Rondout-West Branch Bypass Tunnel, means that Jacobs Associates holds two critical contracts for NYCDEP’s Water for the Future Program, ensuring the reliability of more than 120 miles of water infrastructure and delivering 90 percent of New York City’s 1,000 mgd water supply.

This significant project will provide increased reliability and increase the Catskill Aqueduct’s flow capacity during critical shutdown of the Delaware Aqueduct (required to complete connection of the new bypass tunnel). This will be accomplished through leak repairs, mechanical repairs and installation, and 64 miles of detailed internal aqueduct inspection. Also required is removal of an existing layer of biofilm deposits on the aqueduct’s interior surfaces in order to perform detailed inspections. The detailed inspection will culminate in a comprehensive report providing structural rehabilitation and repair recommendations for the aqueduct’s pipeline, siphon and gravity tunnel.

The winning project team includes subconsultants CDM Smith, HDR and Jenny Engineering. CDM brings an in-depth knowledge of the Catskill Aqueduct’s mechanical components and operational requirements. HDR has a superior knowledge of the aqueduct’s operational requirements and experience from previous leak investigation work. And Jenny brings expertise in tunnel inspection and condition assessment specific to the Catskill Aqueduct. This project was set to begin in July 2013.