Maynilad starts partial reservoir operations at La Mesa

WEST ZONE concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. said it has started storing raw water through its reservoir facility at the La Mesa Water Treatment Plant in Quezon City to help stabilize supply during the dry season.

In a statement on Tuesday, the water utility said the facility can store up to 67 million liters of raw water under partial operations, with full completion targeted by June 2026.

The project involves the repurposing of former sludge lagoons within the La Mesa compound into a six-meter-deep impounding reservoir with a total storage capacity of up to 200 million liters of raw water.

Previously used for sludge handling during the treatment process, the lagoons were converted into a dedicated raw water storage facility.

Once fully operational, the reservoir is expected to provide La Mesa Water Treatment Plant 1 with an additional raw water buffer during periods of reduced inflow.

“This facility enhances our ability to manage raw water variability and maintain stable treatment operations, particularly during periods of lower inflow or higher turbidity,” Maynilad Chief Operating Officer Christopher Jaime T. Lichauco said.

Maynilad said the facility will be its first dedicated raw water storage reservoir and will complement its 38 existing treated water reservoirs across the West Zone.

Maynilad provides water and wastewater services in the West Zone, which covers parts of Metro Manila and Cavite province.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Maynilad’s majority shareholder, is one of three Philippine subsidiaries of First Pacific Co. Ltd., alongside Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera