Construction of New Infrastructure for Wastewater Treatment Plant begins in Delicias

The project, which has an estimated cost of $257 millon pesos and will benefit more than 130,000 residents, consists of the design, construction, and operation of a new WWTP with a total capacity of 370 liters per second (lps) to treat 100% of the wastewater generated by the community, along with a lift station, a force main, and a power cogeneration facility with a capacity of 763KW. The facility will provide an effluent with secondary treatment quality, which will allow for the treated wastewater to be used for landscaping purposes, industrial uses, and agricultural irrigation.

In his remarks, Guillermo Marquez, President of the state water and wastewater utility, la Junta Central de Agua y Saneamiento (JCAS), stressed that "this project, long coveted by Delicias and the neighboring communities of Meoqui and Julimes, took 15 years to solidify." He explained that the negotiations and formalization of the purchase of 44 agricultural plots in just over 11 hectares were completed in 2005 and the bidding process was initiated and completed in 2008, however “construction tasks did not begin that year because the global economic crisis which led the bid-winning company to request a cost adjustment that made it impossible for users and the State Government to support." The project was put “on hold” and went through several litigation processes. It was not until the beginning of the current state administration in 2010 when the project was re-engineered, technically, and in the financial scheme and legal framework. The outcome was a project that necessitated “sacrificing Delicias residents, as it required indexing user fees based on price increases, and that would significantly impact the economy of Delicias families.” As a result, the project was not approved. The project resumed in 2015 by “establishing negotiations with the construction company to settle the litigations, and sign and formalize an amended agreement that would ensure the feasibility of a project that would be sustainable, environmentally friendly and obviously, compliant with the operating rules and regulations of all participating agencies,” said Guillermo Marquez.  

To conclude his speech, the president of the JCAS added this project not only addresses the requirements of residents of this municipality and neighboring communities, but also responds to “ the cry of nature, that demands us to stop pollutants from reaching the basins of the San Pedro River, one of the main tributaries of the Conchos River."

NADB representative Fernando Barrera recognized “that with the leadership and management of the Chihuahua State Government and the joint efforts of JCAS, the local utility, the private sector, development banks, as well as the assistance provided by an international organization such as the NADB, the project became a reality. He added that "in the near future it will be formalizing the corresponding loan agreement which will allocate resources for these important works for Delicias."

Finally, the Governor Duarte thanked the support of the BECC and NADB which helped finalize this project. “It took time but the project is finally here, and it's here to stay and fortunately, its construction will be completed to provide the city the services it deserves in order to meet and sustain the development we have throughout the state. 

The implementation of this project will provide the State of Chihuahua with two wastewater treatment plants with cogeneration facilities to reclaim the biogas generated by their processes, WWTP Delicias and WWTP Juarez South plant (the Juarez wastewater treatment plant and cogeneration system were also certified and financed by BECC and NADB).

This is the second project approved by the BECC and NADB for this community. The first project was to implement technological upgrades to Irrigation District No. 005. NADB awarded US$40 million in grants which accounted for 28% of this project. The remaining funds were provided by the Mexican federal government. The modernization of the irrigation district, which has an area of about 88,000 hectares, increased efficiencies by approximately 40% that conserves about 396 million cubic meters of water a year. This allows better hydraulic steering Conchos River Basin where the irrigation district is located and which is the most important on the Mexican side of Rio Grande, which is shared by the two countries.