By Richard Barrera Ortega

The Federico Guardia Conte water treatment plant in Chilibre continues to operate at 80% capacity while efforts are made to clean water distribution lines to reduce turbidity caused by heavy rainfall last Thursday.

This was reported by Ivan Cano, Director of Operations at the National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (IDAAN), who detailed measures being taken to control turbidity levels.

Laboratory personnel, including biologists and chemists, have been working to determine the appropriate dose that meets water quality standards.

Cano explained that the turbidity resulted from heavy rains on Thursday, April 25, where around 400 millimeters of water fell in a short period, washing sediments into the lake from which raw water is drawn.

In addition to adjusting processes at the plant, IDAAN is conducting cleaning programs in the networks, especially in areas such as San Francisco, Parque Lefevre, and Costa del Este, where elevated levels of turbidity have been detected.

In collaboration with the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), a transfer is being made from Lake Alajuela to Lake Gatun to prevent turbidity from affecting raw water intake at the Chilibre plant, Cano stated.

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