On a planet heating faster than we can adapt, where over 2 billion people live in regions of severe water stress, discharging treated water remains an unaffordable contradiction. In Mexico, where more than 50% of the territory faces drought conditions and over 70% of wastewater is not reused, inaction is no longer acceptable. The Water Reuse project in Puebla was born to reverse this logic—transforming an underutilized treatment plant into a regenerative node for water, resilience, and public health.
Located at the El Arenal treatment facility in the northern part of Puebla city, this project captures secondary-treated effluent and turns it into a safe and traceable resource for urban irrigation, dust control, street cleaning, or industrial non-potable use. What was once an environmental liability—effluent discharged into the Atoyac River without further use—is now a valuable alternative supply. The intervention is structured under the technical criteria of VWBA 2.0 and WQBA, aligned with the principles of additionality, intentionality, and traceability, and verified through digital monitoring tools that allow real-time impact measurement.
With a treatment capacity of over 100 L/s and the potential to recover more than 1 million m³ per year, this solution not only reduces upstream water withdrawals but also improves effluent quality and minimizes public health risks in nearby communities. The Water Positive vision materializes here with a justice-driven narrative: every recovered liter means less pressure on the watershed, fewer diseases from contact with polluted water, and more opportunities for resilient urban development. Companies, municipalities, and industrial players that engage with this transformation will not only meet ESG targets—they will lead a much-needed shift in Latin America’s water paradigm.
Puebla city sits atop a closed, heavily urbanized basin with increasing pressure on its underlying aquifer, which is currently in decline. Despite having existing wastewater treatment infrastructure, most treated water ends up being discharged without productive use. This disconnect between installed capacity and effective reuse represents both a technical and strategic opportunity to generate high-impact water, economic, and social benefits. The project proposes to harness this hidden value by designing a complete system for diversion, storage, disinfection, and safe delivery of reused water.
The intervention is based on low-energy, high-efficiency technologies, including chlorination, UV, or advanced treatments depending on the final application. The recovered water will be used by municipal services, industrial parks, and urban cleaning operations—thereby reducing potable water demand for non-essential activities. The volume transformed exceeds 1,000,000 m³/year, equivalent to the annual water consumption of more than 10,000 Mexican households. Furthermore, this prevents the discharge of that same volume into the Atoyac River, mitigating impacts on water quality and environmental health.
This model is fully replicable across hundreds of similar plants throughout Mexico and Latin America. What makes it unique is its integration with digital traceability platforms, public-private collaboration, and ability to generate verifiable metrics under VWBA and WQBA frameworks. Key stakeholders—plant operators, Puebla municipality, corporates with water replenishment targets, technology providers, and project developers—enable a solution that blends circular economy with urban health.
Corporations committed to sustainability, especially in beverage, food, energy, and retail sectors, will find in this project a concrete pathway to replenish their water footprint, meet regulatory demands, and stand out as leaders in the transition to a regenerative water economy. Acting now is not just strategic—it is necessary. Because water that is not recovered is water lost forever.
The project proposes a comprehensive mitigation strategy based on advanced treatment infrastructure, rigorous technical operation, circular water resource management, and institutional strengthening. The solution is designed not only to eliminate pollutants but also to maximize the value of wastewater as an environmental and economic resource.
The design includes the construction of a treatment plant using physical, biological, and chemical processes (clarification, filtration, disinfection, membranes) geared toward reuse of the treated effluent in non-potable applications. The goal is to significantly reduce the pollutant load discharged into the Atoyac River, relieve pressure on overexploited groundwater sources, and create a new, safe alternative water supply for uses such as urban irrigation, industry, and municipal services. The intervention will also contribute to ecosystem restoration along the riverbed, strengthening urban water security.
Project implementation is grounded in the deployment of high-efficiency wastewater treatment technologies, a specialized operational structure, and robust interinstitutional coordination.
The treatment system is based on a secondary biological reactor complemented by advanced clarification processes. It includes multimedia filters for suspended solids removal and UV or ozone disinfection systems to eliminate pathogens, ensuring the treated water meets reuse standards. The integration of reverse Osmosi and ultrafiltration technology is also under evaluation, offering higher purification levels for applications with stricter quality requirements.
Wastewater will be captured through the existing sewer system, modified with interception systems to redirect flows to the treatment plant. The process will be continuous and automated, enabling efficient and traceable operations. Treated water distribution will be controlled up to the point of delivery to end users.
The technical monitoring plan includes constant flow measurement using ultrasonic or electromagnetic sensors and real-time quality monitoring for key parameters such as BOD₅, TSS, coliforms, and heavy metals. Periodic external audits and use of digital traceability platforms like Aqua Positive will ensure transparency and independent validation. Reports will align with international frameworks such as ESRS E3 and CDP Water Disclosure, supporting ESG commitments.
Project execution is led by the Puebla Municipal Government, with the local water utility (SOAPAP) serving as the technical authority. A specialized water treatment company will be contracted for design, construction, commissioning, and plant maintenance. CONAGUA will oversee regulatory compliance. Strategic partnerships will be established with environmental NGOs, universities, research centers, and private-sector reuse stakeholders to ensure long-term technical, social, and economic sustainability.
Implementation will follow sequential phases: planning and technical design, construction and equipment installation, testing and process calibration, and continuous operation. Each phase will include a detailed schedule and specific activities, supervised by the utility’s technical team and the contractor.
Climate funds and green finance instruments (such as sustainable bonds) are also being considered for projects with proven water impact.
Risk management will include specific protocols for technical failures (e.g., power outages, maintenance shutdowns), institutional risks (e.g., political transitions), social risks (e.g., community resistance or inequitable access perceptions), and environmental risks (e.g., extreme rainfall or prolonged drought). All risks will be mapped and linked to contingency plans within system operation and maintenance manuals.
The project entails the implementation of an integrated solution for the reuse of urban and industrial wastewater through a tertiary treatment plant with a capacity of 100 liters per second. The facility will be located in the municipality of Puebla, at the heart of the Upper Atoyac basin—one of Mexico’s most polluted and vulnerable.
The main objective is to reduce pollutant discharges currently affecting the Atoyac River—a once functional watercourse now posing serious health and environmental risks—and convert wastewater into a safe, traceable water resource. Treated effluent will be used in non-potable activities such as public space irrigation, urban maintenance, industrial processes, and eventually indirect aquifer recharge via infiltration zones.
Technically, the plant will combine advanced biological treatment with clarification, filtration, and disinfection processes using ultraviolet radiation (UV) or ozone. ultrafiltration(UF) and reverse Osmosis (RO) integration is under evaluation to achieve higher treated water quality and expand reuse options. The system will be fully automated with online sensors monitoring flow, quality, and performance, and integrated with traceability platforms like Aqua Positive to ensure transparency and validation of water benefits.
Expected benefits include the production of over 3 million m³ of reused water annually, reducing demand on conventional sources such as the overexploited Puebla Valley aquifer. A significant reduction in pollutant loads discharged into the river is also expected—particularly in BOD₅,DQO, suspended solids, coliforms, and nutrients—supporting ecological recovery and public health improvements.
The project is fully aligned with the VWBA 2.0 framework using method A-3 (Volume Provided), by creating a new available water source that would not exist without intervention. It also incorporates WQBA elements by quantifying improvements in treated water quality. Reporting will be compatible with frameworks such as ESRS E3, CDP Water, Science-Based Targets for Water, and platforms like Aqua Positive, ensuring traceability, additionality, and benefit permanence.
Institutionally, the project will be led by the Puebla Municipal Government and SOAPAP, with CONAGUA as the regulatory authority. Collaborations are planned with technology providers, environmental NGOs, research centers, and private-sector water users.
This project represents not only a technically effective solution but also a model for circular and resilient water transition in Latin American cities facing chronic pollution and aquifer overexploitation.
