In less than a decade, five prominent cantons of Guanacaste, Costa Rica are set to witness a transformation. A massive infrastructural blueprint has been drafted with a goal to secure the region’s water supply for the next 50 years. Tagged at a substantial $425 million, the project entails building 225 km of distribution networks.
This ambitious venture, initially called “The Water Supply Project for the Middle Basin of the Tempisque River and Coastal Communities”, has been given a more succinct name – “Water for the Lowlands”, courtesy of President Rodrigo Chaves.
The grand plan intends to cater to multiple areas – from human consumption to agricultural irrigation, and bolstering the tourism sector in Nicoya, Santa Cruz, Bagaces, Liberia, and Carillo. With a timeline stretching till 2029, the project must commence by the close of next year.
The project’s implementation is a multi-stage process. The first order of business is constructing the dam, which is expected to span 40 months. However, to maintain efficiency, tender procedures for subsequent stages will occur concurrently, ensuring no delays in the construction phases.
A key feature of this project is the use of water from the Arenal reservoir to establish an expansive 850-hectare reservoir. In addition to the placement of canals and purification systems, a portion of the water will also be allocated towards hydroelectric generation, thus serving dual purposes.
