Mexico and the United States are teaming up to build a desalination plant in Rosarito, Baja California, to provide freshwater to the region. The plant, which is expected to produce 50 million gallons of water per day, will help reduce Mexico’s reliance on the Colorado River.

Background

The project was first proposed in 2016 but was met with opposition from local residents who were concerned about the privatization of water. The project was eventually cancelled in 2020, but was revived by the current Mexican administration.

The US will provide funding for the project through the North American Development Bank, which will lend Mexico up to $114 million to build and reinforce the pipes and pumps needed to distribute the water to urban cities in Baja California.

Benefits and Concerns

The desalination plant is expected to provide a reliable source of freshwater for the region, which has been struggling with drought and overuse of the Colorado River. However, critics have raised concerns about the high cost of the project and the potential environmental impacts of desalination.

Some advocates have argued that Baja California should prioritize recycling its wastewater before investing in desalination. They point out that the region’s wastewater treatment plants are not equipped to handle the amount of wastewater generated by the desalination plant, which could lead to further pollution of the Tijuana River.

Original reporting: Voice of San Diego — read the source article.