Cozumel Officials Defend San Miguelito Wastewater Plant After Environmental Complaints

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — The head of the local water utility has pushed back against environmental complaints about the San Miguelito wastewater treatment plant, insisting the facility is operating at full capacity with no leaks or contamination risks.

Manuel Gurigutia Barrientos, manager of CAPA in Cozumel, said the plant is currently processing at 100 percent capacity and that recent allegations of pollution are unfounded. The statements come after the activist group Selváme Mx posted concerns on social media about possible environmental damage from the plant’s operations.

“The plant is new, there are no pending reinforcements or leaks. The only things missing are minor details like landscaping, painting, and lighting,” Gurigutia said.

According to Gurigutia, the main collector running beneath Rafael E. Melgar Avenue — the island’s waterfront boulevard — handles 60 percent of the city’s wastewater, while the remaining 40 percent arrives through a pumping station near the airport. Both systems converge at San Miguelito, where the water is treated before being injected into the aquifer to continue its natural cycle.

The plant recently underwent a 130 million peso ($7.2 million) upgrade funded by the state government and other agencies, doubling its processing capacity from 110 to 230 liters per second.

“I don’t know where they get those claims, because everything is working at 100 percent,” Gurigutia said, adding that other pumping stations are also being modernized to automate operations and improve system efficiency.

Regarding potential contamination of Laguna Ciega, Gurigutia said it is highly unlikely because the two sites are geographically distant, with the lagoon at a higher elevation than the treatment plant.

Gurigutia emphasized that the plant represents a significant advance in the island’s sanitation infrastructure, allowing it to better meet growing demand for wastewater services. “We are making progress in giving Cozumel the proper treatment of its wastewater,” he said, noting that the complaints based on satellite images have not been backed by laboratory analysis.