Our first visit was with Empresa Municipal de Agua (EMPAGUA), which supplies more than 10 million cubic meters of water each month to approximately 85% of the 3 million people living in Guatemala City. We met with Hugo Vasquez and Eric Hernandez at El Cambray treatment plant, which was constructed in the 1960s and is the oldest water treatment plant in Guatemala City. Actually, the origins of this plant were constructed in colonial times as part of the aqueducts, the vestiges of which can still be seen at El Cambray.
The water entering El Cambray comes from the Rio Pinula, approximately 5 kilometers from Guatemala City. They treat, on average, 80-90 liters of water per second, which serves close to 300,000 people living in Zones 10, 14, and 15. As water enters the plant it is mixed with aluminum sulfate and other coagulant aids to help removed the suspended solids from the river water. The water then goes through a series of settling basins before passing through sand and gravel filters. After filtration, the water is treated with chlorine gas to disinfect any remaining microbes before being sent through the distribution system and out into the city.