Cancún’s biggest wastewater plant closed for environmental violations

Cancún, Quintana Roo — The largest wastewater treatment plant in Cancún has been shut down by the Environmental Protection Prosecutor’s Office (PPA), headed by Alonso Fernández Lemmen Meyer, due to the discharge of 300 liters per second of effluent around the facility.

The plant is located in the Arco Norte area of Region 237 and receives waste from a densely populated area of the city, where municipal authorities estimate up to 30 percent of Cancún’s more than one million residents live. Additionally, this plant processes excess wastewater from the hotel zone.

The state agency placed a closure notice on the facility, although the plant continues to operate partially. “We cannot completely shut down operations to avoid creating a contingency,” clarified the head of the organization.

The measure was applied for alleged violations of environmental legislation, specifically Article 218, which protects citizens’ right to a healthy environment.

An administrative procedure has been initiated that orders a definitive solution to the problem, while maintaining access to the northern wastewater treatment plant to ensure its operation and not affect other services the company provides to the population.

Consequently, the case file has been referred to the corresponding legal-administrative process, which results in an order to renovate the damaged facilities that have caused these impacts and determines a possible economic sanction.

During a tour of the area, the foul odors emanating from the treatment plant were confirmed, which, according to security personnel, “is normal.”

Although there are no homes directly in front of the plant, the intense odor is perceptible many meters away from the area.

According to municipal statistical data, approximately 9,630 people live in 2,390 homes in Region 237, making it one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Quintana Roo, with a density of 632 inhabitants per square kilometer.

According to the concessionaire Aguakan, wastewater treatment plants (PTAR) are the central axis of sanitation in Quintana Roo. Thanks to these facilities, wastewater undergoes advanced purification processes and is safely reincorporated into the subsoil, protecting the aquifer, public health, and the environment.