#525 Mexico: Solar Sewer Project

Nuevo Mulege, in Baja Sur, Mexico, is a unique neighborhood constructed by the Mexican government, following damaging hurricanes and tropical storms. Mulege residents in the high-risk flood zone were given free houses and relocated in Nuevo Mulege. There are 270 houses and 850 residents. In addition, there are four schools and one student boarding school. The sewage plant does not receive adequate voltage or consistent electricity from the local grid. The sewer pump motors required to move the sewage through the treatment process get burned out under these conditions and when they stop working, sewage backs up in and around the plant (which borders a high school). Undertreated sewage is released to an adjacent riverbed and also onto the high school field. The Mulege Rotary Club has planned a project to bring solar to the sewage treatment plant with an array of solar panels and equipment.