Baja California is moving forward with a major water infrastructure project in Playas de Rosarito, where construction is set to begin on the largest desalination plant in Latin America.
The project is expected to provide drinking water for the region for at least 30 years, while reducing Baja California’s reliance on the Colorado River as its primary water source.
The plant will be built with $15,616.80 million pesos in public funding. Because the project is fully publicly funded and subsidized, state officials said it will not increase water rates for residents.
A New Source of Water for Baja California
Governor Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda said the project is intended to strengthen water security as the region continues to grow.
“We will not depend on the Colorado River, we will have our own source of water,” Avila Olmeda said.
Construction is expected to take 36 months, with work scheduled to begin this week.
The plant is also part of Mexico’s 2024-2030 National Water Plan, which includes the goal of ensuring access to sufficient, quality water while promoting sustainable and responsible water management.
The project is one of 17 strategic infrastructure projects identified as essential at the national level.
How the Desalination Plant Will Work
The facility will use reverse osmosis to remove more than 99% of salts from seawater and produce drinking water that complies with Mexico’s NOM-127-SSA1-2021 standard.
Its design also incorporates energy recovery technology that uses pressure from the rejected brine, along with high-efficiency equipment intended to reduce electricity consumption.
The plant will be equipped with pumps and filters designed for continuous operation, helping protect the membranes used in the desalination process and maintain a stable water supply.
Water Will Also Need a New Distribution Network
Building the desalination plant is only part of the project. Additional infrastructure will be required to move, connect and store the water once it is produced.
The Baja California State Commission for Public Services of Tijuana (CESPT) said new networks will be built to transport water from the plant to Tijuana, Rosarito and Ensenada.
Additional storage capacity is also expected to help the regional water system respond more efficiently during periods of particularly high demand.
The project is therefore being presented not only as a new source of drinking water, but as part of a broader effort to strengthen Baja California’s water infrastructure for the coming decades.
