The Colpitas catchment (a watershed within the Lluta) is home to a small indigenous community, and local waters are characterised by high mineral content (specifically boron and arsenic).
Further downstream, approximately 1,000 agricultural workers grow crops in the Lluta Valley, a region where agriculture must be specially adapted to harsh conditions, with elevations above 5,000m.
To improve water quality and make the resource sustainable for irrigation and agricultural production, Wood designed a sustainable, integrated framework.
We executed the project in two phases in order to determine the best methods for mitigating the contamination:
- Phase 1: Identification and characterisation of contamination
- Phase 2: Preliminary design of mitigation measures
To effectively deliver this project, we leveraged our water resources, hydrogeology, water quality and engineering expertise from our Santiago, Chile, office.