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COWI, a leading international engineering consulting group, has been appointed by Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) as construction manager for its landmark Syphon Reservoir Improvement Project. This project is the largest ever undertaken by IRWD and one of Southern California’s most significant water infrastructure upgrades.

COWI, working in joint venture with GFT (formally Gannett Fleming), will deliver comprehensive construction management services for the project starting in pre-construction with constructability review of the design to minimize issues during construction, and support for the contractor bidding process.

Through construction the COWI-GFT JV will perform construction contract administration to control budget and schedule, resident engineering to coordinate design management with the Designer, quality assurance to ensure that every element of construction meets design and regulatory requirements, and formal risk management to identify and mitigate construction risks before they occur.

COWI will also work closely with IRWD’s environmental monitoring and public outreach teams to protect the local environment and community during construction.

The project will expand Syphon Reservoir’s storage capacity ten-fold, enabling the storage of up to 5,000 acre-feet of recycled water. It will enhance regional water supply reliability, support climate resilience and reduce costs for ratepayers by reducing the quantity of water that IRWD needs to import. With California facing increasing pressure on water resources due to climate change and population growth, the project represents a critical step in safeguarding sustainable water supplies and provides a blueprint for other public agencies facing similar pressures.

“This is a significant milestone for COWI in Southern California,” said Arun Parsons, Vice President, COWI North America. “We’re impressed by IRWD’s bold implementation of the largest project in their history to maximize the storage and use of recycled water, and it reflects exactly the kind of forward-thinking and industry-leading approach that COWI champions.

With our experience delivering dam and reservoir projects under California’s stringent regulatory and environmental requirements, we are well positioned to lead this project team through construction to deliver a Syphon Reservoir that provides safe, sustainable and cost-effective water to the region for generations to come.”

IRWD has been a pioneer in recycled water, introducing the “purple pipe” system now used worldwide to distinguish non-potable water infrastructure. The Syphon Reservoir expansion builds on that legacy by enabling more recycled water to be stored and reused for irrigation and other non-drinking purposes, reducing demand on potable supplies.

COWI’s appointment reflects its growing role in shaping Southern California’s water infrastructure. Alongside projects such as Anderson Dam Phase 1, Lafayette and Briones Reservoirs, Chabot Dam, Folsom Dam, San Vicente Dam, Lake Mathews, Nacimiento Lake, Lake Calavera, and Gene Wash and Copper Basin dams, this latest win reinforces the company’s position as a trusted partner in delivering resilient, sustainable water solutions for the region.