Situated in the northern desert regions of Chile, the city of Antofagasta receives potable water through a 350 kilometre pipeline from the Andes mountains.

Cascal carried out a complete refurbishment of the existing treatment plant, extensive upgrading of the wastewater collection and treated water distribution systems. New construction works and reinforcement of existing sewers allowed interceptors to connect existing shoreline outfalls, transfer pumping stations and new collectors.

Cascal built new pumping stations to pump the city’s sewage to a main collector which then transports it to the pre-treatment plant. A new pre-treatment plant and a long sea outfall were built to process wastewater.

Minimising the use of scarce water is a very crucial aspect of this project due to barrenness of the area. Since the refurbishment of the plant high quality treated effluent is now re-used in industry and agriculture, thereby conserving potable water. The sale of treated wastewater also partly finances the project.

A principal feature of the project is to provide environmental protection to beaches and coastal areas of Antofagasta. The wastewater from the city was previously discharged directly onto the beaches causing major pollution which has now been eliminated by extensive upgrading of the wastewater collection system.

Working in partnership with ESSAN, a State owned company responsible for water services, the local Cascal company is promoting and educating people to encourage the use of recycled water. Recycling water decreases the demand for potable water and the need for more capital works to bring an additional supply of water to Antofagasta.

Cascal has established a dedicated management and operational team of local staff. They have worked together with the support and expertise of staff from the Cascal head office. Particular emphasis has been placed on emergency systems due to the original poor condition of the existing facilities and the environmental sensitivity of the coast.

Since the start-up of this operation in 1994, Cascal has completed a number of further projects in the region. These include the design, construction and operation of a sewage treatment plant for the Chilean Air force at the air base of Cerro Moreno. The sewage treatment plant re-uses its treated water to provide for the region’s only local golf complex and country club, creating the dramatic contrast of a fertile golf course against the barrenness of the surrounding mountains.

In November 2001 a contract was signed for the supply of six mega litres per day of treated effluent for a period of 22 years to a copper smelter, owned by an important Canadian company located in the sector of La Negra some 45 kilometres from Antofagasta. The total investment of this project reached the sum of US$6 million and encompassed the installation of both a pumped and a gravity pipeline system that totals 40 kilometres in length and has a capacity of 10.3 Mld. This gives a surplus of 4 Mld that can be sold to other industries which are also located in the sector of La Negra.