EBI News for February 04, 2026 – Jacobs wins $200M California wastewater treatment upgrade
EBI News for February 04, 2026 – The following news section contains the latest stories for the environmental industry. Including Jacobs wins $200M California wastewater treatment upgrade, acquisitions, and more!
Jacobs wins $200M California wastewater treatment upgrade
Jacobs (Dallas) announced that it has been selected as the progressive design-build contractor for upgrades to the San Jose–Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility in California. This $200-million project will modernize the city’s biosolids treatment infrastructure, delivering long-term reliability at the second largest advanced wastewater treatment plant in the western United States. Jacobs will upgrade and replace aged mesophilic digesters, reducing the volume of solids hauled offsite for disposal while also enhancing the conversion of biogas which directly fuels the facility’s cogeneration system. A new fats, oils and grease receiving station will convert waste to clean energy, cutting natural gas use and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Jacobs expects to increase biogas output by up to 36% and reduce biosolids production by as much as 74 wet tons per day — about the weight of 50 mid-size cars. Jacobs’ lead contracting partners will be Walsh Construction and Structural Technologies.
New Mexico expands satellite leak detection program with Asterra
Asterra (San Diego, Calif.), a provider of satellite-based, AI-driven water leak detection, has been awarded a four-year contract through the New Mexico Environment Department’s LeakTracer program. The announcement follows Asterra’s collaboration last year with multiple New Mexico water utilities to identify non-surfacing leaks that traditional methods often miss. The first phase of the pilot, completed in May 2025, uncovered 82 leaks and reduced water loss by 240 gallons per minute. Working alongside McKim & Creed field inspectors, Asterra’s satellite analytics pinpointed 31 leaks in just two days, many buried deep underground or invisible at the surface.
Pennsylvania selects ICF for $64M data modernization contract
ICF (Reston, Va.) was recently awarded a $64-million contract by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department to modernize and operate its environmental claims management system. The recompete contract has a five-year base period with one five-year option. ICF will build a scalable, modernized fund management system to support the Pennsylvania Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Fund. “We look forward to delivering a modernized, cohesive system that accelerates responsible and compliant management across Pennsylvania and improves health and environmental outcomes,” said David Birken, ICF senior vice president for digital modernization.
Auquan to help ERM assess sustainability risks
Sustainability consultancy ERM announced a collaboration with Auquan, an agentic AI company for institutional finance. Both companies are headquartered in London, UK. Auguan’s capabilities will help ERM to assess reputational risks as part of the broader due diligence process. ERM will leverage Auquan’s Sustainability Agent to enhance sustainability insights for clients navigating complex regulations and investment mandates. “The work required to properly assess ESG risks and impacts is among the most data-intensive and time-consuming in finance,” said Chandini Jain, CEO of Auquan. “ERM is the gold standard in sustainability consulting, and together we’re using agentic AI to empower firms to deliver on their investment mandates while moving faster and reclaiming their time to focus on strategic work.”
Parametrix expands water practice with Casey Civil
Parametrix (Seattle, Wash.), a 100% employee-owned engineering and consulting firm, has acquired Casey Civil (University Place, Wash.), a civil engineering firm specializing in water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Founded in 2022, Casey Civil provides expertise in water and wastewater system planning, pipelines, pump stations, treatment facilities, and asset evaluation. Parametrix and Casey Civil have partnered on several projects, including the City of Lacey water system risk and resiliency assessment and emergency response plan update. “Water has been a core service offering of Parametrix since our start in 1969. We’re thrilled to have the Casey Civil team join us as we provide resilient and efficient water solutions to our clients,” said Parametrix President and CEO John Willis.
Carollo and CDM Smith to design major PFAS treatment upgrades
Carollo Engineers (Walnut Creek, Calif.), in association with CDM Smith (Boston, Mass.), has been selected by Broward County, Fla. to design comprehensive water treatment and transmission infrastructure upgrades to address PFAS in the County’s groundwater supplies. The multi-faceted project will enable compliance with the EPA’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFAS ahead of the proposed April 2031 compliance date. According to Carollo, the project represents one of Florida’s largest PFAS treatment initiatives to date and includes installation of nanofiltration treatment systems to remove PFAS, upgrades to SCADA systems for monitoring and control, and six miles of large-diameter potable water transmission main across the service area. The new main will connect two water treatment plants to increase redundancy and avoid interruptions to the delivery of high-quality drinking water.
Terrane Geoscience joins GEI Canada
GEI Consultants (Woburn, Mass.), a GISI Consulting Group business, has merged with Terrane Geoscience, a 30-person firm specializing in structural geology, rock mechanics, geotechnical, geo-structural engineering, geospatial data services, and soils testing. Terrane Geoscience is headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has an office in Fredericton, New Brunswick, strengthening GEI’s presence in Atlantic Canada. The addition of Terrane continues GEI Canada’s geographic expansion across the country and supports GEI’s existing Atlantic Canada clients with mining, geology, and geotechnical expertise. Terrane also has a significant presence in British Columbia, where it can partner with GeoWest Engineering, a 30-person team of geotechnical experts that joined GEI in June 2025.
GHD to lead Franco-Australian mine tailings project
GHD (Sydney, Australia) has been selected to lead an innovative project that will transform mine tailings into valuable resources. In partnership with France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, the project team is working to demonstrate that up to 90% of most tailings can be converted into sources of industrial, precious, and critical metals, chemicals, and raw materials for construction products. The initiative is supported by a grant from the Franco-Australian Indo-Pacific Centre for Energy Transition. GHD will undertake advanced mineral separation and testing to recover critical metals including rare earth elements and repurpose mineral residues into low-carbon construction materials such as geopolymers, aggregates, precast concrete and bricks. Each year, more than 10 billion tonnes of mine tailings and 90 billion tonnes of waste rock are generated worldwide.
Geosyntec to acquire JBS&G in Australia
Environmental engineering and consulting firm Geosyntec (Boca Raton, Fla.) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire JBS&G, one of Australia’s leading environmental consultancies. The acquisition creates one of the largest niche providers of diverse environmental consulting services in Australia, according to Geosyntec. Founded in 1996, JBS&G employs more than 300 professionals. “The addition of JBS&G to our exceptional environmental and mining services teams in Australia is a strategic move that scales and accelerates our ability to deliver integrated, best-in-class solutions,” said Majdi Othman, Geosyntec’s president and CEO. Geosyntec is backed by Blackstone Energy Partners and has a staff of 2,800 and more than 130 offices worldwide.
Stantec-Rados team supports recycled water in Inland Empire
Stantec (Edmonton, Canada) announced it has been selected by the Inland Empire Utilities Agency to lead the design of a new pump station and 11-mile recycled water pipeline in the western part of San Bernardino County, Calif. This infrastructure will convey recycled water from the City of Rialto’s wastewater treatment plant to the Agency’s proposed advanced water purification facility in Rancho Cucamonga. The new pipeline and pump station will support the delivery of up to 10 million gallons per day of recycled water. Stantec will serve as the design lead for this progressive design-build project, working in collaboration with its construction partner, Rados.
ALL4 acquires VCS Environmental
ALL4 LLC (Kimberton, Pa.), a provider of environmental, health, safety, sustainability, and digital consulting services, announced the acquisition of VCS Environmental (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), a specialist in wetlands and endangered species regulatory permitting, biological studies, cultural resource services, and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) preparation. Through this acquisition ALL4 will broaden its environmental planning, permitting, and cultural resource capabilities, while VCS gains access to ALL4’s national platform and expanded environmental, health, safety, and digital services. ALL4 is a portfolio company of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners.
Sagasser & Associates joins F&V, expands environmental services in Michigan
Sagasser & Associates Inc. (Gaylord, Mich.) is now a part of Fleis & VandenBrink Engineering Inc. (F&V, Grand Rapids, Mich.). Founded in 1995, Sagasser is a full-service environmental firm specializing in site evaluation, assessments, remediation evaluation, and remedial system design. The merger enhances F&V’s environmental capabilities and broadens its reach in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Established in 1993, F&V is an employee-owned, multidisciplinary civil engineering firm with eight offices across Michigan and three in Indiana.
SLR International acquires U.S. sustainability consultancy
SLR International (Buckinghamshire, UK) announced that WAP Sustainability, LLC (Nashville, Tenn.) has joined its team. WAP Sustainability is a specialist in sustainability consulting, technical services and ESG data solutions, with a strong focus on product sustainability. The firm offers life cycle assessment, environmental product declarations, carbon accounting, and ESG advisory services to the building product, packaging, textiles, electronics, and consumer goods sectors, among others. Since 2009, WAP Sustainability has expanded to nearly 100 employees. This acquisition enhances SLR’s access to “high-growth markets, a blue-chip client base, and a scalable model aligned with global sustainability megatrends.”
SCS Engineers appointed as accredited offset verification body
The Washington Department of Ecology has designated SCS Engineers (Long Beach, Calif.) as an Accredited Offset Verification Body within the Washington State Cap-and-Invest program. WAC 173-446-540(1)(c) dictates separate, specialized accreditation for offset verifiers under the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). While WAC 173-441 provides the data foundation, 173-446-540 reporting requires distinct, stricter verification accreditation for carbon offset projects. SCS Engineers is one of a handful of firms throughout North America to have this series of accreditations. Washington State’s greenhouse gas offset program is part of the state’s Cap-and-Invest Program, established under the CCA. “SCS Engineers has been an active verification body in the California Air Resources Board compliance offset program for years,” said Ray Huff, vice president and national expert on GHG. “We are pleased to offer this opportunity to Washington’s program and assist businesses in successfully navigating offset protocols and regulatory requirements.”
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