West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. plans to invest over half a billion pesos to enhance its water storage capacity by constructing a raw water reservoir.

In a statement, Maynilad said it allocated over P686 million to transform the sludge lagoons within La Mesa Compound into an impounding reservoir dedicated to accommodating raw water sourced from the Angat-Ipo Dam system.

The company said this initiative would repurpose the four existing sludge lagoons at La Mesa Compound in Quezon City. 

Historically utilized as disposal sites for the byproduct of the water treatment process, Maynilad said these lagoons will be revamped into a six-meter-deep reservoir capable of storing approximately 200 million liters (ML) of raw water supply.

Maynilad said that converting the lagoons into reservoirs will increase the raw water reserve at La Mesa Treatment Plant 1 by 200 ML.

This extra reserve will help supplement water supply during periods of reduced water inflows from the Angat-Ipo Dam system, caused by lack of rain or reduced allocations, Maynilad said.

“Since our La Mesa Treatment Plant rehabilitation program already included the construction of new sludge treatment facilities, the existing sludge lagoons could be put to better use as a storage site for raw water,” Ronaldo C. Padua, Water Supply Operations head said.

“By repurposing the lagoons, we can maximize the value of the site and help address our need for increased water storage,” he added.

Targeted for completion by the fourth quarter of 2025, this 200-ML raw water reservoir would be Maynilad’s only reservoir for raw water, as all of its 38 existing reservoirs are only for treated water. 

Besides providing additional water storage, this new facility can serve as settlement basin, allowing for particles in the raw water to settle by gravity so that the water supply entering the treatment plant is less turbid. 

This will make the treatment process easier, especially during the rainy season when instances of high turbidity in the raw water supply become more frequent.

“This reservoir will not only increase our water storage capacity but also help us sustain water service even during challenging periods of high turbidity and reduced water inflows from Angat and Ipo Dams. This will greatly help in our effort to provide reliable water supply for our customers,” said Maynilad Chief Operating Officer Randolph T. Estrellado.

Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base.