Sewage and Wastewater on the Peninsula: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:42, 30 October 2026

EcuaWiki › The Peninsula › Infrastructure

🚽 Sewage and Wastewater on the Peninsula

Sewage on the Santa Elena Peninsula is collected by Aguapen EP and treated in oxidation lagoons — shallow ponds…

Sewage on the Santa Elena Peninsula is collected by Aguapen EP and treated in oxidation lagoons — shallow ponds where sunlight and bacteria slowly break the waste down. There is no conventional wastewater treatment plant in operation yet.

Coverage

Area	Homes on the sewer	Notes
Salinas canton	73% (2022)	Cabecera 75%, José Luis Tamayo 63%, Anconcito only 22% (65% with no service)
Santa Elena canton	32.2% (2022)	About half the city (2019); rural areas 25–40%
La Libertad	About 70% (2015), aiming for 90%	Third phase of the sewer project

Homes without a sewer use septic tanks, cesspits or latrines, which are rarely emptied.

The lagoons

Punta Carnero (10.69 ha; 3 anaerobic + 4 facultative ponds) treats sewage from Salinas, José Luis Tamayo, Punta Carnero and La Libertad. A 2022 study found it receives more water than it was designed for. Its semi-treated water is pumped to irrigate farmland near the Velasco Ibarra dam. A treatment plant to replace it has been proposed.
Other lagoon systems serve Santa Elena city, Ballenita, Anconcito, Ancón, Atahualpa, Ayangue, Colonche, El Tambo, Montañita, San Antonio, San Pablo and Valdivia.

Did you know…?

🏥 …only about 14% of people in Salinas have IESS general insurance?

How IESS works →

Montañita's treatment plant

A treatment plant for Montañita — the first in Santa Elena canton — has been under construction since 2021. It has been delayed several times, so check local news for its current status.

Storm drains

Storm drains are rare: about 30% of central Salinas has them, and the province as a whole had almost none in 2015. After heavy rain, low streets flood and the first flush of the drains can foul beaches — as at San Lorenzo, Salinas, during Carnival 2020.

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 '''Sewage on the Santa Elena Peninsula''' is collected by Aguapen EP and treated in '''oxidation lagoons''' — shallow ponds where sunlight and bacteria slowly break the waste down. There is no conventional wastewater treatment plant in operation yet.
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 == Coverage ==
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 Homes without a sewer use septic tanks, cesspits or latrines, which are rarely emptied.
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 == The lagoons ==
 * '''Punta Carnero''' (10.69 ha; 3 anaerobic + 4 facultative ponds) treats sewage from Salinas, José Luis Tamayo, Punta Carnero '''and La Libertad'''. A 2022 study found it receives more water than it was designed for. Its semi-treated water is pumped to irrigate farmland near the Velasco Ibarra dam. A treatment plant to replace it has been proposed.
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-{{EW dyk|emoji=🏥|<translate>…only about 14% of people in Salinas have IESS general insurance?</translate>|page=IESS|cta=<translate>How IESS works →</translate>}}
+{{EW dyk|emoji=🏥|<translate><!--T:5--> …only about 14% of people in Salinas have IESS general insurance?</translate>|page=IESS|cta=<translate><!--T:6--> How IESS works →</translate>}}
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+<!--T:7-->
 == Montañita's treatment plant ==
 A treatment plant for [[Montañita]] — the first in Santa Elena canton — has been under construction since 2021. It has been delayed several times, so check local news for its current status.
+<!--T:8-->
 == Storm drains ==
 Storm drains are rare: about 30% of central Salinas has them, and the province as a whole had almost none in 2015. After heavy rain, low streets flood and the first flush of the drains can foul beaches — as at San Lorenzo, Salinas, during Carnival 2020.
+<!--T:9-->
 == See also ==
 * [[Water Supply on the Peninsula]]
 * [[Rubbish and Recycling on the Peninsula]]
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 ''Sources: PDOT Salinas 2023–2027 (pp. 141–146); PDOT cantón Santa Elena (pp. 96, 105–107); PDOT Provincia de Santa Elena 2015–2019 (pp. 217–219).''
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