Representatives of the National Park Service, the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, Inyo County, the U.S. Public Health Service and other groups marked the start of construction at a ceremony on Oct. 21. The Furnace Creek Water Systems Rehabilitation Project will serve park visitors and employees, The Oasis at Death Valley and the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, park superintendent Mike Reynolds said.

The work includes replacing the water treatment plant building at Cow Creek, rehabilitating the treatment plant at Furnace Creek and upgrading the wastewater treatment facility shared by the two areas. Crews also plan to drill new wells, modernize sewage lift stations and improve wastewater treatment ponds.

Many parts of the park’s utility systems date to the 1960s and have outlasted their intended service life. Harsh desert conditions have sped the deterioration of pipes, valves and other equipment. Failures in recent years have prompted periodic service outages, boil-water advisories, sewage spills and temporary campground closures.

Reynolds said park crews have spent years making repeated repairs and providing emergency service in extreme conditions. The project, he said, will allow the park to move beyond temporary fixes and rebuild critical systems.

The project is funded through the Legacy Restoration Fund, established under the Great American Outdoors Act. Reliable infrastructure also matters beyond the park: visitors spent an estimated $146 million in Death Valley gateway communities in 2024, generating $191 million in total economic output, according to figures cited by the park.