Tulum, Q.R. — A water desalination plant in Tulum is set to begin operating within the next several weeks. Ernesto Sobrino, who heads the Potable Water and Sewerage Commission (CAPA) of Tulum, says the new plant will increase the supply by 50 liters per second.
He reported that overall, the plant will increase the municipal water supply by 25 percent, which should meet the demands of the growing area.
“This collection point will add 50 liters per second to the current supply, which is 180 liters per second, so now there will be a total of 230 liters per second, reaching the optimal demand that the city needs,” he explained.
Sobrino said that the new plant will be divided into three treatment sections each with a capacity for 17.5 liters per second of permeated water, for a total treatment capacity of an average daily flow of 50 liters per second.
Sobrino says the project cost more than 56 million pesos and is nearing completion.
The new desalination plant is located near Aldea Zamá. There, federal, state and municipal agencies have been working to expand the water distribution network to be able to cover the demand that Tulum requires.
“The desalination plant should be ready in the next few weeks. We are working on the last details with the institutions that oversee the operation so that it can start operating,” he explained.
He reported that currently, the water supply for Tulum is between 150 and 180 liters per second derived from the plant located at kilometer 7 of the Tulum-Cobá highway. The osmosis plant, he says, will improve the municipal water supply, especially to the coastal zone.
“This could see us reach the optimum or perhaps be in line with the optimal demand that Tulum requires,” he said adding that due to the accelerated growth, water demands are exceeded at peak hours of the day, which has caused inefficiency throughout the municipality.
