Ink Dries on Jacobs’ 10-Year Operations and Maintenance Contract in Georgia

In 1994, the City of Americus, Georgia, City Council approved a contract with Jacobs to manage the city’s water production and wastewater facilities. Over the years, the relationship has grown, and now it will extend through 2037 under a 10-year early contract renewal.

Under the scope of work, Jacobs manages, operates and maintains the 4.4-million-gallon-per-day (MGD) Mill Creek Water Pollution Control Plant, the 5-MGD Oak Avenue Water Plant, the 2-MGD Railroad Street Water Treatment Plant, the 2-MGD newer water plant on Littlefield Rd. and the industrial pretreatment program.

“We have provided the city and its 16,800 residents with exceptional value through world-class operations and maintenance (O&M) for over 30 years,” says Jacobs Executive Director of Operations Kevin Dahl. “This renewal is a testimony to our long-term commitment to the city and we look forward to finding new ways to collaborate, streamline operations and deliver cost-effective projects to meet the city’s future needs.”

An extension of the city backed by a OneJacobs approach

Jacobs is highly involved in daily activities. “With the backing of over 70 combined years of experience on our local team, we serve as a trusted advisor for the city for O&M services and capital upgrades,” says Kevin. “Together with the city, we’ve aligned resources to achieve strategic objectives, maintain excellent treatment performance, repair critical assets and plan for future improvements.”

As part of the early renewal, Jacobs will oversee a major plant upgrade, which will include replacement of the grit removal system at the headworks and rehabilitation of the belt press and two main lift stations. Jacobs O&M staff will work alongside in-house consulting and engineering teams to deliver the upgrade and enhance asset performance. 

“Our project management oversight for this rehabilitation will not only save on third-party engineering fees, but also ensure we have reliable infrastructure and assets to deliver compliant operations for the city,” adds Kevin.

Proven success in efficiency and cost savings

Jacobs has regularly performed preventive maintenance, system upgrades and cost-saving measures. In recent years, the team has: 

• Cut oil consumption by 40% 
• Rehabilitated multiple lift stations and clarifiers
• Conducted regular asset condition assessments
• Replaced the return activated sludge meter
• Prepared the Annual Water Loss Audit on behalf of the city

These efforts have maximized asset reliability, secured cost savings and improved operational efficiencies.
The team’s willingness to visualize opportunities that would provide value to the city and residents has proven successful given our 31-year tenure with the city.

A key to the city in more ways than one

Beyond infrastructure, Jacobs actively supports a number of community events to network with and give back to the community. Events vary from sponsorships of Americus First Fridays and Taste of Sumter to providing interactive training and tours for schools, city employees and the general public. 

Community engagement isn’t new for Jacobs. In the early 2000s, the regional Jacobs team volunteered time and funding to renovate a local park — building a new parking lot, installing playground equipment, upgrading restrooms and laying new sod. In recognition, the mayor awarded Jacobs a Key to the City, an honor given to an individual or organization for their service and commitment to the community.

Kevin delights, “Community service is a point of pride for us. We understand the importance of delivering safe drinking water and responsible wastewater treatment, but we also value the impact we can have on the people we serve.”

Americus Mayor Lee Kinnamon adds, “Jacobs has been a good partner with the City of Americus, and their staff care deeply about serving our community.”

The results of these collective achievements? The team has received more than 100 awards for operations, compliance and safety. The city was even ranked in the top five in the nation for Best Tasting Tap Drinking Water. There must be something good in the water in Americus!