Maynilad spending P686 million to convert La Mesa lagoons into reservoir

West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. said on Friday it was investing P686 million to repurpose sludge lagoons within the La  Mesa Compound into a raw water reservoir.

In a statement,  Maynilad explained that converting the lagoons  into an impounding reservoir for the raw water flowing in from the  Angat-Ipo Dam system would effectively increase the company’s water  storage capacity.

The water distribution company said it is repurposing the four existing sludge lagoons at La Mesa Compound in Quezon  City—which used to serve as a disposal site for the sludge produced by the water treatment process—into a six-meter deep reservoir that can store around 200 million liters (ML) of raw water supply.

By converting the lagoons into a reservoir, the La Mesa  Treatment Plant 1 will have a 200-ML additional raw water reserve that can augment the supply whenever water inflows from the Angat-Ipo Dam system via the Novaliches/La Mesa Portal goes down due to lack of rains or reduced allocations.

“Since our La Mesa Treatment  Plant rehabilitation program already included the construction of new sludge treatment facilities, the existing sludge lagoons could be put to better use as a storage site for raw water,” said Maynilad Water Supply Operations head Engr. Ronaldo Padua.

“By repurposing the lagoons, we can maximize the value of the site and help address our  need for increased water storage.”

Targeted for completion by the fourth quarter of 2025, Maynilad said the 200-ML  raw water reservoir would be the company’s only reservoir for raw water, as all 38 existing reservoirs are only for treated water.

Besides providing additional water storage, the new facility can serve as a settlement basin, allowing for particles in the raw water to settle by gravity so that the water supply entering the treatment plant is less turbid, the utility explained.

Maynilad said the project would make the treatment process easier, especially during the rainy season when high turbidity in the raw water supply becomes more frequent.

“This reservoir will not only increase our water storage capacity but also help us sustain water service even during challenging periods of high turbidity and reduced water inflows from Angat and Ipo Dams. This will greatly help in our effort to provide a reliable water supply for our customers,” said Maynilad chief operating officer Randolph Estrellado.

Maynilad is the concessionaire of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area, which is composed of the cities of Manila (certain portions), Quezon City (certain portions),  Makati (west of South Super Highway), Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las  Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon all in Metro Manila;  the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario, all in Cavite province. — DVM, GMA Integrated News