$129M combined funding from international partners
A powerful team consisting of Jordanian ministries, CDM Smith, local utilities, and international agencies united to deliver this project.
Client
Water Authority of Jordan
Location
Northern Shuneh, Jordan
Delivering global expertise to one of the world’s driest regions
In November 2020, King Abdullah II inaugurated the $129 million Wadi Al Arab Water System II, a marvel of modern ingenuity and international collaboration. The new water treatment plant in the Jordan Valley takes water from the King Abdullah Canal, treats it to international standards for quality and delivers it to a surging populace. The canal, vulnerable to seasonal episodes of extreme turbidity, coliform bacteria levels, nematodes, organic carbon and high levels of bromide, is the only locally available source of raw water with adequate capacity. To make matters worse, a lack of vegetated buffers has prevented filtering of contaminants from agricultural and urban runoff. What one of our experts called “one of the most difficult sources of water to treat that I’ve seen” is now being safely tapped to provide drinking water to a growing population.
One million people gaining access to clean drinking water
With Jordan’s population growing as refugees fled conflict in neighboring countries, this project provided crucial public health improvements.
A 15 mile pipeline for conveyance
Moving the treated water to the populations that needed it required lengthy conveyance and four powerful pump stations.
Remote tech brings experts from 14 locations together
Using HoloLens mixed reality technology, experts from around the world were able to virtually visit the site and contribute to the project.
“Delivering severely needed water to the residents of Jordan was immensely fulfilling,” says drinking water expert Jennifer Osgood, who has two decades of experience managing complex drinking water projects. Ultimately, the cohort of international funders and technical experts worked tirelessly to finish the project in just three years.
"The Wadi Arab Water Supply System II project delivers a critical water supply to the Irbid Governorate," said construction manager Hussein Khreis. "This project will have a profound impact on the lives of the people in the Northern Governorates by improving the water supply and quality in the region."
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