Jacobs announced on Aug. 11, 2026, that it was selected by the Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CUWCD) to provide engineering services for the proposed Strawberry High Line Improvement Project.
The critical water infrastructure program, with an estimated $750 million construction value, is expected to transform the historic Strawberry High Line Canal into a modern, pressurized water system.
By replacing the open-water canal with a buried pipeline, the corridor would be repurposed with an integrated regional trail, providing a recreational amenity and improving community connectivity. Additionally, the water conveyance project would serve both agricultural users and growing urban communities across south Utah County and eastern Juab County.
“Modernizing critical water infrastructure is essential to managing community vitality,” Jacobs Executive Vice President Tom Meinhart said. “With Utah's significant growth, the Strawberry High Line Improvement Project would improve system performance delivering water for agriculture, communities and future development.”
Originally constructed around 1916 as part of the Strawberry Valley Project, the Strawberry High Line Canal conveys water from the Strawberry Reservoir and the Spanish Fork River for agricultural and municipal water uses.
In a joint venture with Bowen Collins & Associates, Jacobs is expected to provide design and construction-phase support services to enclose the canal via new pipelines, a pump station and related infrastructure, supporting water delivery to a future population of approximately 420,000 people.
