Delivering reliable potable water
The Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project now provides desalinated water to millions of Jordanians.
Client
USAID
Location
Jordan
Markets
Priorities
Advancing water security through infrastructure
As one of the world’s most water-stressed countries, Jordan faces severe shortages worsened by drought, population growth, and climate change. The country has implemented multiple critical water and wastewater system upgrades to enhance reliability, strengthen resilience, and protect public health.
Water reuse at work
The new plant’s wastewater serves as an alternative source for agricultural irrigation, boosting economic vitality.
Improving energy efficiency
Enhancements saved $11M, cut 85M kWh in power usage, and reduced CO₂ emissions, making supply more sustainable.
Safeguarding for the future
Teams limited greenhouse gas emissions by introducing a renewable energy generation facility as part of the scope.
Beginning in 1992, USAID and CDM Smith collaborated to advance Jordan’s water security through long-term, sustainable solutions. These projects are improving access to clean water, reducing environmental impacts, and ensuring resilient infrastructure that supports the nation’s growth and public health for decades to come.
Client
USAID
Location
Jordan
Markets
Priorities
Desalination to supply Amman
One of the most significant elements to Jordan’s water transformation is the Aqaba Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project. Desalinated sea water from the Gulf of Aqaba will be treated at a 300 MCM per year capacity plant featuring a 450 kilometer conveyance system. The project will supply Amman and governorates along the conveyance route with 250 million cubic meters (MCM) per year, with the remaining 50 MCM per year planned for Aqaba and the south Wadi Araba area.
To support the Ministry of Water and Irrigation with the planning and procurement of the project, CDM Smith has provided technical, financial, and legal services as USAID’s implementing partner for this build-operate-transfer 30-year concession contract. In support of this effort, CDM Smith prepared a concept design and feasibility cost estimate to determine the viability and bankability of treating seawater and a conveyance system from Aqaba to Amman. The project has also taken on climate change priorities to limit greenhouse gas emissions from the power consumption by introducing a renewable energy generation facility as part of the scope.
Sanitation for Aqaba's growing population
The North Aqaba Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is another upgrade completed under USAID. Originally constructed in 1986 with enough capacity to receive 9,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day, Aqaba Water Company expanded and rehabilitated the plant in 2021 to accommodate the sanitation needs of Aqaba’s growing population and to enhance sanitation services for residents of the Aqaba Governorate. CDM Smith supported the construction of the new facilities and the rehabilitation of the existing wastewater treatment plant. The new expansion can accommodate an extra 28,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day—40,000 cubic meters in total. The plant now has enough capacity to safely manage sanitation services for 150,000 people in the Aqaba Governorate.
The new facility includes a combination of solar power and biogas produced through the wastewater treatment process. These green alternatives are elevating the plant’s ability to meet energy demands of the new expansion, including the energy needed to pump treated water for reuse. By preventing the contamination of Jordan’s precious freshwater sources, this initiative is protecting public health and environmental standards while lowering operating costs.
Upgrading the Tafileh WWTP
USAID, the Government of Jordan, and CDM Smith also made strides to accommodate the sanitation needs of Tafileh’s growing population by replacing the existing Tafileh WWTP with a higher-capacity, more efficient plant for residents of the Tafileh Governorate. The original WWTP was constructed in 1989 with enough capacity to receive 1,600 cubic meters of wastewater per day, but the new plant has allowed for waste processing capacity of 5,000 cubic meters per day with the potential to expand to 7,500 cubic meters per day. The new plant’s capacity tripled from about 25,000 to over 78,000 people. This treated wastewater serves as an alternative water source for agricultural irrigation, allowing potable surface and groundwater sources to be used for drinking.
Providing freshwater wells in Dair Alla
CDM Smith is also supporting USAID’s Water and Wastewater Improvement Efforts for Dair Alla, a district in Balqa Governorate in the Jordan Valley with no wastewater pipeline networks, by providing well drilling contract tender evaluation and pre-contract services. To increase the availability of much-needed fresh water, the team is rehabilitating groundwater wells, upgrading a desalination water treatment plant and building a water transmission system serving 17 localities. These additions to Dair Alla will allow for an influx of fresh water available, keeping pace with the growing demand driven by population increases.