Arcadis, the company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets, announced that it will serve as the lead engineering firm supporting the study of the proposed Northern Gulf of California Desalination Project concept. Working alongside Sacyr Water and the wider project team, Arcadis will provide engineering and technical analysis to support the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA) during the multi-stage appraisal process. WIFA’s Board of Directors has approved Stage 1.
Arizona continues to evaluate opportunities to diversify long-term water supply for the region. WIFA’s appraisal process is designed to evaluate potential new water sources and determine their technical, financial, environmental, cultural, and regulatory viability. Stage 1 authorizes the initial analysis and does not represent a decision regarding project development or future funding, which WIFA will evaluate separately based on the results of the appraisal.
The appraisal study will explore the viability of a desalination facility and associated conveyance infrastructure that would ultimately make up to 500,000 acre-feet of water supply. A distinctive element of the proposed concept is the evaluation of geothermal energy as a potential renewable energy source for the desalination and conveyance system. The study is structured across six tasks: project management; technical evaluations; environmental and cultural evaluations; regulatory and contractual evaluations; society and community evaluations; and cost, financial and commercial evaluations. Arcadis leads the technical, environmental, and regulatory evaluation work and contributes to the other elements of the appraisal alongside the broader project team.
“Reliable, resilient water supplies are essential for Arizona’s communities, now and for generations to come” said Heather Polinsky, CEO, Arcadis, “This appraisal will give WIFA the technical information it needs to assess whether desalination, supported by renewable energy, could strengthen the region’s long-term water security. With the potential to make up to 500,000 acre-feet of water available, the concept deserves careful examination. Working alongside Sacyr Water, we bring together Arcadis’ expertise in water, desalination, infrastructure and renewable energy to help WIFA understand what is possible and make informed decisions about the region’s future water supply.”
