San José, Calif., April 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Brown and Caldwell, a purpose-driven engineering consulting firm creating and delivering water and environmental solutions throughout North America and the Pacific, was selected by the City of San José to provide owner’s advisor (OA) services for a wastewater treatment project that will help modernize processes and address new regional nutrient regulations.
The Aeration Basin Modifications Phase 1 (ABM1) is a design-build project at the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF) – one of the largest advanced wastewater treatment facilities in the western U.S. serving 1.5 million residents and 17,000 businesses in the Silicon Valley. As part of the City’s long-term Capital Improvement Program to update infrastructure, the project also advances compliance with new nutrient regulations by modifying treatment processes to reduce nitrogen in treated water, while maintaining safe, sustainable service.
“ABM1 project is the largest capital endeavor in the City’s program history, with an estimated construction cost of $240 million,” said Kapil Verma, P.E., Deputy Director – CIP, Environmental Services Department at City of San José. “The modifications are designed to achieve two goals: repairing aging, corroded infrastructure and upgrading the biological treatment process to meet new nitrogen removal limits.”
As OA for ABM1, Brown and Caldwell will support the City throughout procurement and delivery by helping attract and retain strong design‑builder interest, providing business and technical guidance to ensure contract compliance, partnering with the selected design‑builder team to foster collaboration and innovation, and proactively managing project risks. This role aligns with the City’s design‑build procurement approach for delivering technically complex, time‑sensitive, performance‑based projects such as ABM1.
“Our Brown and Caldwell team brings deep nutrient removal expertise to this project, paired with a long-standing understanding of the City of San José’s facilities, decision-making processes and service priorities,” said Anup Shah, P.E., Vice President and Senior Director at Brown and Caldwell, who will serve as the project’s Senior Technical Advisor. “ABM1 is a complex, fast-moving design-build effort. Our OA services role and prior experience partnering with the City position us to help the project efficiently move from team selection and design through construction and into successful operation.”
The ABM1 project will upgrade the wastewater site’s biological nutrient removal (BNR) facilities to enhance performance while rehabilitating existing BNR basins to extend their service life. In addition, the project will implement advanced process controls and energy-saving improvements that support the City’s sustainability goals. Following selection of a design-builder team, work is expected to begin Fall 2027, with project completion targeted for 2034.
“Brown and Caldwell has been a partner to the City for several years on several projects, and we certainly have the utmost confidence that they are well suited to help us navigate through this complex and really exciting project,” said Verma during his presentation to the City Council during project’s approval.
Brown and Caldwell has decades of experience in advanced nutrient removal, including the planning and design of complex wastewater treatment facilities for Bay Area municipalities and others nationwide. For the City of San José, the firm recently completed the Aeration Tanks Rehabilitation Project and Blower Improvements at the RWF, providing condition assessments, aeration process evaluations, blower design improvements, and engineering support through construction, startup and commissioning. That work directly informs ABM1, allowing the Brown and Caldwell team to leverage existing knowledge and facility‑specific insights to support efficient project delivery. In earlier efforts, Brown and Caldwell also helped establish infrastructure design standards and supported work to help launch the City’s Capital Improvement Program.
About Brown and Caldwell
Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, Brown and Caldwell is a full-service environmental engineering and construction services firm with 50 offices and nearly 2,400 professionals across North America and the Pacific. For more than 75 years, our creative solutions have helped municipalities, private industry, and government agencies successfully overcome their most challenging water and environmental obstacles. As an employee-owned company, Brown and Caldwell is passionate about exceeding our clients’ expectations and making a difference for our employees, our communities, and our environment. For more information, visit www.brownandcaldwell.com.
Contact Info
Jessica Reese O’Rourke
[email protected]
+1 206-749-2216
- San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility