Authorities study US$10mn project to cleanup Acapulco bay

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A US$10mn project to cleanup Mexico's Acapulco bay and its beaches was presented to Guerrero state authorities by US-based firm Dellepere Enterprises, the company's president and project director Alejandro Dellepere told BNamericas.

"Since the project was presented in May 2008 we have had around six meetings with authorities but we are still waiting for confirmation," Dellepere said.

Acapulco bay suffers from various sources of contamination, according to Dellepere. These include urban solid waste, poorly treated wastewater discharges, pollution from port activities and organic waste produced by local fishing activities.

The high levels of contamination found during the study show that the waters in the bay are not apt for recreational activities as they could cause infectious diseases, said Dellepere. "Since Acapulco is an important tourist destination, authorities asked us to present a project that would show results in no more than six months and that is what we did," he added.

The project involves installing two Scavenger2000 decontamination vessels and two stationary Oxyplus plants, among other equipment, and includes 12 months of operations, training and maintenance.

In the meantime, the state is working to mitigate the sources of contamination that are polluting the bay. "The problem is the time and the investment these works involve. However, once the decontamination vessel and the plants are working, people can use the beaches without sanitary risks," the executive said.

While the project can help solve the environmental problem, it is not the only solution. Authorities will also have to build treatment plants for domestic and industrial wastewater, and stop the dumping of solid waste in the area. It is also important to invest in environmental education so that people become more aware of the damage they are causing, Dellepere said.

Guerrero state authorities also asked the company to evaluate contamination in Tres Palos lake and Zihuatanejo bay. "Both of these areas show high levels of pollution as well," said Dellepere, adding: "We presented similar projects to cleanup these areas but, as with the Acapulco project, we are still waiting for confirmation."

THE TECHNOLOGY

The Oxyplus technology integrated into the Scavenger2000 vessel was developed in the US by Water Management Technologies and is distributed in Latin America by Dellepere Enterprises.

The Scavenger 2000 injects oxygen and ozone through micro bubbles. These bubbles can transfer oxygen at a rate of more than 75% and a minimum of 150,000l of oxygen/h is injected into the water. At the same time, ozone disinfects the water. Disinfection ranges from 10,000-20,000 gallons (37,854-75,708l) of water per minute.

The vessel also has a system to collect floating solid waste and a water canon to cleanup coastal areas.

Since 2007, Dellepere has been involved in decontamination projects in Latin American countries such as Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.

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