Maynilad Water Services Inc. has set aside more than P686 million for the development of a raw water reservoir designed to beef up supply for the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System’s (MWSS) western service zone.
The MWSS concessionaire said in a statement on Friday it was repurposing the four existing sludge lagoons at the La Mesa Compound in Quezon City, which used to serve as disposal site for the sludge produced by the water treatment process.
The company is aiming to complete by the fourth quarter of 2025 what would be its sole reservoir for raw water. It is designed to be six meters deep and capable of storing about 200 million liters of raw water.
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Maynilad has 38 other reservoirs, but all of these are used for treated water. According to its website, Maynilad’s reservoirs have a total holding capacity of over 751.5 million liters of potable water.
Meanwhile, the new facility is intended to augment supply of water coming from the Angat-Ipo Dam system through the Novaliches/La Mesa Portal declines 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 Ronaldo Padua, head of supply operations at Maynilad.
“By repurposing the lagoons, we can maximize the value of the site and help address our need for increased water storage,” he added.
Likewise, the planned facility can serve as a “settlement basin”—where particles in the raw water could sink to the bottom of the reservoir—to help make the supply entering the treatment plant less turbid or cloudy with sediment.
“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,” said Randolph Estrellado chief operating officer of Maynilad.
The company holds a 25-year legislative franchise covering the “West Zone” service area of Metro Manila and the province of Cavite. — Jordeene B. Lagare