Explore a Project
Back to projects

AquaLoop Ixtapaluca: Rain to Life, Water to Value. Mexico

Compensation
Crowdfunding
Water Recycling and Reuse
Overview

For the Ixtapaluca site, this initiative is not an operating expense, it’s a value engine that turns cubic meters into predictable savings, service continuity, and a credible environmental, social, and governance (ESG) story that can be seen and audited. AquaLoop Ixtapaluca turns the site into visible circular water infrastructure for customers and the community: it harvests rain and regenerates effluents in-situ to supply restrooms, cleaning, and irrigation and, where applicable, processes that require potable, quality water, with purpose, traceability, and Water Positive verification.

In urban retail and logistics, the norm is still to buy municipal water, use it for services, and discharge it; roofs shed rainwater to drains without use, and effluents are sent off-site. In Ixtapaluca (Valley of Mexico), where water stress is daily, that pattern drives rising costs, operational risk, and reputational exposure. The opportunity is clear: replace a meaningful share of grid water use with safe rainwater harvesting and reuse, lower net withdrawals from the basin, reduce discharges, and stabilize water OPEX (operating expenditure)—turning a recurring cost into an ESG asset aligned with corporate goals and emerging regulations.

The rationale is straightforward and strategic: amid climate variability and potential supply restrictions, on-site solutions reduce exposure to interruptions and optimize the water footprint. The project stands on an ecosystem of partners: site operations as sponsor and owner of targets; an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) integrator for design and build; an operations and maintenance (O&M) operator accountable for performance and monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV); local authority and the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) for permits; an accredited laboratory for quality and chain of custody; and an external verifier of Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA) to ensure credible claims.

The connection to Water Positive is direct: it stems from a corporate decision (intentionality), adds new sources and effective substitution of grid water versus the without-project scenario (additionality), and measures each stream by flow and quality with auditable evidence and sanitary segregation (traceability). The volumetric water benefit (VWB) is calculated and claimed when captured or regenerated water effectively replaces grid water and meets the relevant use standard; when there is contact with food, quality is verified under Water Quality Benefit Accounting (WQBA) and applicable sanitary regulations. Visually, the impact equals the annual consumption of dozens of households, covers multiple daily cleaning cycles, and frees network capacity for the community positioning the organization as one that returns more than it takes.

In Ixtapaluca, where pressure on the Valley of Mexico is felt every day, this project makes the site operator a protagonist of the solution: on the very premises, a modular plant is deployed to harvest rain (first-flush, filtration, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, and sanitary storage) and regenerate effluents (membrane bioreactor (MBR) / ultrafiltration (UF) + UV + dosing to produce non-potable reclaimed water, and optional reverse osmosis (RO) + advanced oxidation processes (AOP) + remineralization for food-grade reclaimed water), to prioritize substitution of grid water in restrooms, cleaning, and irrigation and, where applicable and compliant, enable fruit washing with a dedicated train.

Thus, currently wasted volumes of rain and effluents become useful water on-site, consolidating a claimable volumetric water benefit (VWB) when substitution is effective and traceable. Immediate, direct benefits include water regeneration, lower discharges, reduced emissions linked to off-site transport and treatment, and substitution of chemical inputs thanks to UV disinfection and optimized dosing; in parallel, resilience to outages improves and water OPEX stabilizes through online control and multi-barrier protocols. The model is enabled by site operations (sponsorship and targets), an EPC integrator (design and build), the O&M operator (performance and MRV), water and municipal authorities (permits), an accredited laboratory (quality and chain of custody), and a VWBA verifier (assurance of claims).

It is highly replicable: its modular architecture adapts to stores and distribution centers with large roofs and similar sanitary networks, allowing cluster-based scaling. Acting now is key due to mounting water stress, tariff volatility, and new ESG / Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) / EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) / Net Positive Water Impact (NPWI) expectations that reward real substitution and traceable impact. Retailers, logistics operators, and big-box chains are natural leaders: they gain regulatory and ESG compliance, visibility and competitive differentiation, plus a stronger social license to operate and cost predictability. The technical and strategic opportunity arises from the coexistence of roofs that can supply rainfall flows and effluents with stable patterns—versus a baseline of runoff losses, low resource yield, basin pressure, and overloaded drains—driven by urban sealing, legacy designs made to evacuate rain quickly, grid dependence, and lack of incentives and traceability for reuse. Short term, substitution materializes in services (toilets, cleaning, irrigation) with a tangible reputational lift; medium term, operational stability consolidates, specific consumption per m² falls, and discharges drop; long term, a culture of circularity takes hold, practices standardize across the portfolio, and the site contributes consistently to the local water balance with auditable evidence.

On a single site, the solution integrates rainwater harvesting with first-flush, filtration, UV disinfection, and sanitary storage, along with an effluent-reuse train based on biology with membranes (MBR/UF), polishing, and final disinfection to produce non-potable reclaimed water for restrooms, cleaning, and irrigation. Where processes involve contact with food, a high-spec train (RO + AOP + remineralization) is added under sanitary segregation, total organic carbon (TOC) / ultraviolet transmittance (UVT) monitoring, and a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) / Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan. Operations are supported by a digital layer—Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) / Internet of Things (IoT)—measuring turbidity, UVT, pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and free chlorine online, and by segregated networks (purple-pipe reclaimed vs. potable) with backflow preventers, interlocks, and control points. Outdoors, harvesting can be complemented by rain gardens and sustainable drainage to absorb runoff peaks and improve micro-hydrology.

Technology selection follows an alternatives analysis. Considered: constructed wetlands; moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) + chemical disinfection; outsourcing to external WWTPs; and direct percolation. Each offers partial advantages but shows constraints in footprint, sanitary control, chemical dependency, traceability, or permitting. The membrane-based scheme was chosen for compactness, stable effluent, modularity, and its ability to meet sanitary standards with multiple barriers; the digital layer secures intentionality and traceability aligned with VWBA 2.0.

The system runs in modular skids with adjustable capacity and turndown to match seasonality and operating hours. Buffer tanks add flexibility for peaks, and segregated circuits enable safe switching among sources (rainwater, non-potable reclaimed, food-grade reclaimed, and potable) without disrupting critical services. Maintenance windows are planned without compromising service continuity.

The intervention stops wasting rain and effluents, cuts grid withdrawals, and reduces discharges, boosting resilience to outages. It fits the Valley of Mexico thanks to the train’s small footprint, sanitary control in dense urban settings, and portfolio standardization potential. Decision criteria combine energy efficiency, levelized cost of water avoided, basin impact, replicability, and regulatory compliance. In Water Positive terms, benefits are counted as captured volume and volume that replaces grid water, with demonstrable additionality, with/without-project comparison, and no double counting.

Benefits span multiple dimensions. Water: replacing a significant share of service demand reduces grid dependence and raises site autonomy. Quality: sustained reduction of BOD, TSS, and coliforms secures use-appropriate water, verified by an accredited lab. Efficiency: optimized water, energy, and chemical use per service unit through tuned setpoints and multiple barriers. Resilience: hydraulic buffers and automated switching sustain continuity amid flow/quality variability. Environmental: lower discharges and less strain on drains. Social: stronger sanitary safety for staff and the public. Economic: more predictable water OPEX, eligibility for certifications, and a stronger, communicable ESG profile.

Risk management is comprehensive. Operational risks—membrane fouling, low UVT, disinfection upsets—are addressed via pre-treatment, clean-in-place (CIP), N+1 redundancy on critical equipment, alarms, and immediate bypass to potable. Sanitary risks—cross-connections or loss of segregation—are mitigated with backflow preventers, check valves, pipe color-coding, pressure tests, and periodic sanitary audits. Environmental risks—sludges, odors—are managed through handling plans, covered storage, and compliant disposal. Regulatory risk is reduced by early permitting and robust technical dossiers; social acceptance and safety are strengthened with signage, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), drills, and communication channels. Against climate variability, buffer tanks, dynamic source prioritization, and periodic climate stress-tests ensure stable performance.

Long-term resilience rests on redundancy, preventive and predictive maintenance, periodic climate-risk reviews, setpoint updates, and staff retraining. Operational governance defines clear roles and responsibilities, lessons-learned capture, and a continuous-improvement cycle. Monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) combine 24/7 flow and quality metering, automatic historization, time-series dashboards, an auditable repository, and third-party verification. VWBA 2.0 rules govern benefit attribution, avoiding double counting and always comparing against the baseline.

The solution is replicable across retail, logistics, industrial parks, airports, and campuses in urban basins with large roofs and on-site effluents—provided there’s space for skids/tanks, an enabling regulatory framework, and an internal culture open to operational improvement. Its competitiveness stems from low footprint, quick deployment, and a favorable levelized cost versus alternatives; scaling accelerates through alliances with authorities, technology providers, auditors, and academia.

  • SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being: Lowers sanitary risks through multiple barriers and segregated networks; where there is food contact, applies GMP/HACCP and potable water standards.

 

  • SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation: Increases availability via harvesting and in-situ reuse; measures m³ captured/reused, quality (BOD, TSS, coliforms), and operational autonomy.

 

  • SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: Deploys modular infrastructure (MBR/UF, UV, RO + AOP) with digital traceability, audit-ready and scalable.

 

  • SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities: Manages rain and effluents on-site, easing supply and drainage loads and raising urban resilience.

 

  • SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production: Closes the on-site water loop, cuts discharges, and substitutes inputs (grid water and some chemicals).

 

  • SDG 13 – Climate Action: Enables adaptation (circular infrastructure) and mitigation (lower kWh/m³ by substituting external supply).

 

  • SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals: Orchestrates public-private partnerships across owner, EPC, O&M, authorities, lab, and VWBA verifier—connecting Agenda 2030, CEO Water Mandate, SBTN, and NPWI.

Country: 

Implementation is staged and adaptive, starting with an enabling intervention and expansion modules timed to rainy seasons and permitting windows; the master schedule chains milestones with quality, safety, and performance gates. First, the baseline is established—flow gauging and use balances, physico-chemical and microbiological characterization, losses, energy use, network and equipment mapping—and KPIs, system boundaries, and the with vs. without project frame are defined for VWBA/WQBA. Measurement combines temporary sensors and lab campaigns with digital logging, in parallel with permit and sanitary requirements.

On that basis, engineering and regulatory preparation proceed: confirm the MBR/UF + UV train for non-potable reclaimed water and, where applicable, RO + AOP + remineralization for food-grade water; specify instrumentation (electromagnetic flowmeters, turbidity, UVT, pH, ORP, free chlorine, TOC); produce Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), electrical and hydraulic integration; perform Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) analysis; and finalize the sanitary plan (GMP/HACCP when there is food contact). Capacity is set as modular and scalable, with performance validated on site.

With engineering approved, works and installation follow: skids, tanks, and segregated networks (purple-pipe reclaimed / potable) with backflow preventers and color-coding; sensor installation; integration of SCADA/IoT with the corporate data lake; and factory/site acceptance tests (FAT/SAT) with QA/QC of construction and loops. Commissioning proceeds by trains and services, tuning setpoints and running microbiological and functional challenges; accredited labs verify use-specific compliance and uses are enabled progressively. The initial VWBA/WQBA report is issued and the post-commissioning baseline consolidated. Steady-state operation relies on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), real-time dashboards, and alarms; governance defines roles and responsibilities (operations, maintenance, monitoring, validation, reporting), agreements on the use and ownership of reclaimed water, and a Responsible–Approver–Consulted–Informed (RACI) matrix for decisions. Maintenance is preventive and predictive, with critical spares, sludge management, and protocols for temporary bypass to potable and safe shutdown.

The system records flows and quality 24/7, applies no-double-counting rules, and compares systematically against the baseline; physical traceability is ensured by coded networks and interlocks, and digital traceability by SCADA, historization, and data custody—with optional blockchain evidence sealing. Third-party audits and verifications are scheduled; climate-risk reviews and contingency plans are updated periodically; data feedback drives setpoint optimization and technology refresh—ensuring persistence of benefits and scalability to new sites.

AquaLoop Ixtapaluca delivers a dual intervention, effluent reuse and rainwater harvesting, within the property. Technically, it integrates an MBR/UF + UV + dosing train to produce non-potable reclaimed water for restrooms, cleaning, and irrigation; where there is food contact, it adds RO + AOP + remineralization for food-grade reclaimed water. Rain harvesting includes first-flush, filtration, and disinfection prior to sanitary storage. Everything runs on scalable modules, with segregated networks (purple-pipe reclaimed / potable), backflow preventers, and online control (turbidity, UVT, pH, ORP, chlorine). The system complies with Mexican Official Standards NOM-003 (non-potable uses), NOM-127 and NOM-251 (food-process hygiene) and reports benefits under VWBA 2.0 and WQBA, aligned with corporate goals.

This solution is relevant in a territory with structural water stress, aquifer pressure, and climate variability that disrupts supply. Versus a baseline that buys, uses, and discharges water, the project closes the loop on-site, lowers withdrawals and discharges, and raises operational resilience. It suits the Valley of Mexico’s urban context thanks to its small footprint, multi-barrier sanitary control, and compatibility with existing infrastructure.

Expected results are expressed as m³/year captured and reused, quantified and claimable when they effectively replace grid water; in quality, sustained reductions of BOD, TSS, and coliforms ensure fitness-for-use; and in co-benefits, such as lower emissions linked to external transport/treatment, relief of drainage systems, and public-health improvements driven by stricter water-quality standards.

Strategically and commercially, the intervention advances the organization’s Water Positive roadmap by generating verifiable VWB, strengthens the license to operate, improves ESG reputation and competitive differentiation, and eases compliance with reporting frameworks (SDGs, SBTN for Water, corporate commitments, and references like ESRS E3). It also aligns with global initiatives (e.g., NPWI) to position the water program across the value chain.

The model is replicable and scalable to other urban basins and sectors (retail, logistics, industrial parks, campuses, airports) that have suitable roofs and on-site effluents, a supportive social base, and an enabling regulatory framework. Scaling is accelerated through public-private partnerships, local operators, communities, and verifiers that secure common standards and rapid adoption.

The final expected impact is a better basin water balance by reducing net withdrawals and managing runoff, together with higher climate resilience for the site. Socially, it translates into safer operations, potential for skilled O&M jobs, and public recognition of responsible leadership. For investors, customers, and society, the message is clear: this is an investment that turns risk into value, speeds the transition to a regenerative economy, and proves, with traceability and external verification, that it is possible to give back more than is taken.

Estimated price:

1,10 €

Place request

Building the road to a Water Positive future +

Get Started

Place request

:

AquaLoop Ixtapaluca: Rain to Life, Water to Value. Mexico