Posted on August 8th, 2024
San Miguel de Allende, May 15th, 2024: Caminos de Agua, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving human health and community well-being through adequate and affordable access to clean water, reached a significant milestone with the inauguration of its second large-scale Groundwater Treatment System (GTS) in the rural community of Alonso Yáñez. Located near the southeastern tip of the Presa Allende (Allende Reservoir), this system marks a pivotal moment in the endeavor to provide clean drinking water to marginalized, low-income communities in Guanajuato, Mexico.
Caption: Community members in front of GTS in Alonso Yáñez
The Groundwater Treatment System, developed in-house to affordably remove arsenic and fluoride from contaminated water supplies, is the first of its kind in the world. A single installation is capable of treating up to 1.5 million liters (400,000 gallons) of groundwater in a single year, and, unlike commercial options, GTS does not require a continuous electricity supply and does not waste water. After seven years of rigorous research, development, and testing, Caminos recently initiated a GTS implementation strategy in their region, the Upper Río Laja Watershed,
where more than 740,000 people rely on groundwater to meet their daily drinking needs, which is often contaminated with toxic levels of arsenic and fluoride.
The event marked the culmination of a community-driven effort to mitigate what has become a severe public health crisis caused by naturally occurring arsenic and fluoride that concentrate in an aquifer system that is being depleted at an alarming rate. Arsenic and fluoride are directly linked to a host of health issues, including dental and skeletal fluorosis, chronic kidney disease, various types of cancer, cognitive development and learning impairments in children, and other chronic conditions.
“We have seen quite serious health impacts in the community of Alonso [Yáñez] through a joint study with the National Public Health Institute of Mexico and Columbia University. The community’s public water supply testing revealed fluoride levels more than five times the limit as well as concerning levels of arsenic. That’s why April 20th, the day we’re inaugurating the system in Alonso, is a huge milestone for us as an organization, and, we hope, an even bigger moment for the community, and the health of future generations here, who will now have regular access to affordable, clean drinking water,” noted Dylan Terrell, the Executive Director of Caminos de Agua.
This partnership with the community of Alonso Yáñez sets in motion Caminos’ ambitious plan to establish 10 systems within the next five years, directly impacting 10,000 people within the watershed region. However, GTS holds immense potential to transform the lives, not just here, but of millions of people around the world who suffer from the crippling effects of high exposure to arsenic and fluoride – and potentially other emerging chemical contaminants – in their drinking water with few appropriate options available to deal with these incredibly-difficult-to-remove water pollutants.
Caption: GTS system in Alonso Yáñez
Engineered to be replicable, open-source, and low-cost, GTS can be implemented and scaled in diverse global settings.
“We intend to create a self-sustaining system of support for GTS and, ultimately, a viable, sustainable model that can be replicated by others facing similar challenges throughout Mexico and beyond,” remarked Allie Alvarez, Director of Technology at Caminos de Agua.
With the support of multiple donors and partners, Caminos de Agua remains committed to scaling solutions like GTS and providing access to clean drinking water in collaboration with underserved communities.
About Caminos de Agua
Caminos de Agua is a community-focused, data-driven, and science-oriented NGO based in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. We work in partnership with at-risk communities to obtain adequate supplies of safe, healthy drinking water, and we were founded in 2011 with the mission of “Improving human health and community well-being through adequate and affordable access to clean water.” While we work to make an impact locally where we live, we also leverage our experiences and water solutions to reach well beyond the boundaries of our watershed to support others facing similar water quality and scarcity issues throughout Mexico and around the globe.
Caminos de Agua is organized as both a 501(c)(s) nonprofit organization in the U.S. as well as an equivalent Asociación Civil (A.C.) in Mexico.
For more information please contact:
Tomas Rehacek; tomas@caminosdeagua.org
