Midland Water Pollution Control Plant Expansion

In Texas, even though oil and gas is a critical industry to the state, it’s equally important to protect and preserve limited freshwater resources, so industries are finding new ways to meet water demands. Pioneer Natural Resources LLC (Pioneer) is a leader in creating innovative, sustainable water supply solutions, including using reclaimed water sources. Here’s how the City of Midland and Pioneer jointly solved each other’s water resource challenges.

It’s a win-win situation — with the new wastewater treatment upgrades, the city continues to operate the Midland Water Pollution Control Plant and was actively involved in design decisions that affected operability. As the client/owner, Pioneer now has the necessary treated water volumes for its oil and gas operations and was able to limit construction costs.

As design-builder, Jacobs took the needs of both parties into consideration and designed and built improvements that met all objectives, including expandability to meet future needs. The team worked together to optimize the best value for dollar spent, addressing budget issues immediately as the design progressed, which optimized the timeline and schedule.

Delivered under a $133.5 million progressive design-build contract, Jacobs was responsible for design, permitting, construction, and startup and commissioning. The upgrades included secondary treatment processes, an effluent pump station, solids thickening/dewatering, anaerobic digestion and chemical facilities.

Completed and in service since January 2021, this unusual partnership represents the culmination of seven years of planning and design under an accelerated schedule. Recently, the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) recognized the project as a recipient of a 2022 National Design-Build Project/Team Award.

Along with the Goodyear (Arizona) Water Treatment Facility, which also received a 2022 National Design-Build Project/Team Award at a Las Vegas ceremony in early November 2022, these projects are providing their communities and industry with resilient and sustainable water supplies.