Cleaning the Mighty Bogota River
As CDM Smith’s first international project in the 1960s, Bogota Water Utility (Empresa de Acueducto, Aseo y Alcantarillado de Bogotá - EAB) selected us to provide a treatment alternative for Bogota wastewater. The project produced the first wastewater collection and treatment master plan for Bogotá, which ultimately led to the construction of the city’s new wastewater treatment plant.
For years, the country's capital has been in need for a new wastewater treatment plant to complement the nearby Salitre facility. In operation since 2010, Salitre treats only one-third of the wastewater generated in Bogotá and increase reduction of sanitation problems will improve life quality of people for those living on its banks.
Cleaning the Bogota River will turn the capital into a cosmopolitan city, attracting more opportunities for employment and investment, as well as the construction of ecological trails. Recovery of the Bogotá River will also improve public health, enhance nearby farming and develop recreational opportunities along the river. With an average daily flow rate of 16 m3/s, the Canoas facility is a key component of the Bogotá river cleaning scheme.
Cleaning the Bogota River will turn the capital into a cosmopolitan city, attracting more opportunities for employment and investment, as well as the construction of ecological trails.
CDM Smith completed the conceptual design of three-phase project. We have also provided Phase I detail engineering that includes primary treatment with chemical assistance, anaerobic digestion of sludge, recovery of energy from biogas, and Class A biosolids production. Next step is the construction of the WWTP and the detailed design of the secondary treatment. With Phase II of operation of this project, the water from the river could be used for agricultural purposes in the lower basin.
In addition to being a world-class project, similar efforts in Europe along the Seine River in France and the River Thames in the United Kingdom, the Canoas project promotes a culture of respect for the environment and a sense of belonging to a natural attraction—the Bogotá river.