Death Valley National Park broke ground Oct. 21 on a $69.5 million project to rehabilitate aging water and wastewater infrastructure serving park visitors, employees, residents and the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe.

The three-year Furnace Creek Water Systems Rehabilitation Project is funded through the Legacy Restoration Fund established by the Great American Outdoors Act. The investment will address deferred maintenance and improve the reliability of water and sanitation services in the park’s extreme desert environment, according to the National Park Service.

Planned improvements include replacing the water treatment plant building at Cow Creek, rehabilitating the Furnace Creek water treatment plant and upgrading their shared wastewater treatment facility. The project also includes replacing more than 30 miles of water and sewer pipelines, drilling new water wells, modernizing sewage lift stations and upgrading wastewater treatment ponds.

Many components of the park’s utility systems date to the 1960s and have deteriorated under harsh desert conditions. Failures have resulted in periodic service outages, boil-water advisories, sewage spills and temporary campground closures.

Construction will be phased to minimize disruptions to park operations, though localized water outages and temporary parking reductions may occur.

The project is intended to replace aging infrastructure that park staff have repeatedly repaired to maintain essential services, Death Valley National Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds said in the announcement.