Background
The coastal region of the state of Baja California relies almost exclusively on the Colorado River as the source of its drinking water. This high dependence on a single source exposes the system to operational and availability risks associated with both adverse hydrological conditions and physical contingencies, such as seismic events or repairs that have interrupted pumping through the aqueduct in the past. Moreover, the Colorado River has been experiencing a prolonged drought and is overallocated among its different users in both countries. In 2024, Baja California’s allocation from this supply source decreased 7% in accordance with the provisions of the 1944 Water Treaty, forcing it to acquire additional water rights. This adjustment in supply is not expected to improve and may continue to decrease over time.
In response to these challenges and as part of a comprehensive strategy to diversify water supply sources in the region, the State government prioritized the construction of a seawater desalination plant in Playas de Rosarito with the capacity to produce 2,200 liters per second (lps) or 50.2 million gallons per day (mgd). In line with this plan, the State also instructed the local water utilities to identify the infrastructure needed to convey, store and distribute the water produced by the proposed plant in their communities. This project covers those complementary works.
Project Scope
The project consists of developing and constructing the infrastructure needed to convey, store and supply water from the new Playas de Rosarito Desalination Plant to the communities of Ensenada, Playas de Rosarito and Tijuana, as well as improve existing infrastructure to increase efficiency and reduce water losses in the systems. The main components of the project include:
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Construction of 10, 812 meters (35,472 ft) of a 36-inch transmission line from the Rosarito Tank to Tank 6
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Construction of 4,048 meters (13,281 ft) of 36-inch interconnections and branches in the transmission line from the Rosarito Tank and Tank 6
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Construction of 30,346 meters (99,560 ft) of a 54-inch transmission line from the Rosarito Tank to the Herrera Tank
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Expansion of the Herrera Tank to 15,000 m3 (4 million gallons)
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Construction of 2,873 meters (9,426 ft) of a 24-inch transmission line from the Herrera Tank to the Morelos Tank
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Expansion of the Morelos Tank to 10,000 m3 (2.7 million gallons)
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Complementary transmission line works from Tank 6 to Pump Station 87 to convey water to Ensenada
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Complementary transmission line infrastructure from Pump Station 87 to the Morelos Tank to convey water to Ensenada
Benefits
The project will help improve regional water security, optimize the operating costs associated with supplying drinking water—including reducing the energy required for its conveyance—and strengthen the operational flexibility of the system by diversifying its supply sources. Moreover, the water produced and distributed by the desalination plant will partially replace the volumes currently obtained from the Colorado River, thus reducing reliance on this drought-prone source by an estimated 43%.
