Constructed Wetlands for Secondary Wastewater Treatment at the San Pedro Tesistán Wastewater Treatment Plant in Jocotepec, Jalisco, Mexico

Lake Chapala is the largest lake in Mexico and supplies water to the Guadalajara Metropolitan Zone of Central West Mexico, where it is processed into drinking water serving a population of 4.3 million. The lake is very polluted from a combination of poorly treated wastewater and the industrially polluted rivers that feed into it. Due to immobilization of government funds to upgrade and maintain existing underperforming wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), a more sustainable treatment approach is needed. This report explores the design of an ecological treatment system as an add-on technology to one of these plants, the San Pedro Tesistán WWTP in Jocotepec, Jalisco, Mexico. Consultation with onsite maintenance personnel, the State of Jalisco Water Commission, and a cultural liaison from the University of Guadalajara provided current plant design, water quality data, and information about locally available materials. From this information, the cheapest option was developed, namely a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland system that was designed to meet Mexican water quality standards for discharge into Lake Chapala. This case study serves to demonstrate the feasibility for communities to better protect their drinking water sources with minimal capital expenditure and through utilization of culturally appropriate design and materials.Master of Science in Environmental Engineerin