The Challenges of Municipal Water in Jaltemba Bay

Tara A. Spears

In modern society we expect utility services to work when we want: turn on a faucet and clean water immediately comes out, or flush a toilet and the yuk goes away. Nothing ruins a day faster than singing in the shower, all lathered up, and the water STOPS. What! Is! This!? Unfortunately, the sudden lack of home water availability is not unusual in our corner of paradise. I have cursed the municipal water service (formerly SIEPA, now known as Oromapas) loud and often over the years. But I’m presently in the honeymoon phase with the current administration of Oromapas — they are in the process of dragging the overloaded, antiquated potable water, failing sewer treatment, and trash collection system into the 21st century. It is a formidable task, and thanks is owed to the leadership of the administrator, Felipe Núñez Peña.

For 14 years Guayabitos and Los Ayala had condemned water, but since September 2024, I have clear water! I smile every time I turn on the tap and the water is odorless and clean. I’m ecstatic to learn that Oromapas is even chlorinating the water to control bacteria. This is super important to people who need to add 20 gallons frequently to counteract evaporation in a swimming pool. The water from the hose used to be so bad that within 30 minutes of adding tap water, bacteria turned it green. Ugh. Below: the water before, and the water now. It used to be so embarrassing, not to mention all the skin infections I had.

Another issue with the local water is the distribution cycle. Most people who come from other places are used to pressurized water that is constant in the pipes. It is different in rural Jaltemba Bay: Oromapas has a distribution pattern that services each neighborhood on a rotating basis. On good weeks — when the equipment is functioning and there aren’t breaks in a line — each neighborhood has water pumped to it once a week for about 6 hours. During busy tourist times, a second weekly pump is scheduled. In between assigned pumping, the water pipes are empty. That’s why it is vital to have a large holding tank or cistern to store water between pumpings, in order to be able to flush toilets, etc. I’ve learned the hard way to check regularly on the water level in the holding tank before I take a shower or do four loads of laundry. I’ve also learned that there are certain weeks of the year when there is no water pumped, so I curtail my usage to last until the next arrival of water. Until I realized there was a cycle, I ran out of water a lot. Once I knew to only expect water on certain days, I modified my water usage accordingly.

But there are many times that the water doesn’t get pumped for weeks, as people have pointed out on social media. There are several ways to handle this situation, none of them enjoyable. It is imperative to go into the office and report the lack of water. I know, it’s aggravating and time consuming, but necessary. I bring a drink and a book and tell the secretary that I will wait until the director is available. The staff will have to check your scheduled pump day, and check to see if there have been other reports of outages, then send repair techs to investigate. The problem usually does not get fixed the same day you report it. Sometimes the problem is not the Oromapas line in the street, and you will need to hire a private plumber to clear or replace your pipe on your property. The current director is much more accessible than previous administrators.

Another way of dealing with the inconsistent water issue is to arrange to have a pipa — a truck load of water — delivered, if you have a holding tank. I do not like doing this due to the cost and the fact that then I’m double paying for the water. Besides, I feel the heavy water trucks harm the streets and the environment, not to mention the inconvenience of having to wait to use water.

The third way of dealing with the water problem is to call the emergency number. It’s the simplest step, but I don’t speak enough Spanish to do it, so I need to use my phone to translate face to face in the office.

I feel it’s important to understand the challenges that Oromapas La Peñita faces in providing continuous water. There are three main issues that cause problems: the tropical climate; the size of the service area coupled with explosive growth; and the meager operating budget. One must be aware that structures in this hot, humid climate deteriorate faster than at other latitudes. That means pipes, equipment, and even drain covers break down and need constant replacement. Regarding the water issue, all of the original iron pipes are deteriorated and need replacement — a gargantuan expense. The extremely rapid growth of the area is putting pressure on the available resources; it’s a miracle that the municipal services function as well as they do simply given the pace of growth. With the area of service being so large for such a small agency, it’s no surprise that just maintaining the four water wells is demanding. Oromapas also operates the waste treatment system, which is always breaking down, with sewer pipe leaks occurring. Add to their responsibilities the area trash collection, which is a political hot potato right now due to the closing of the landfill. Yep, I think Oromapas is doing a great job given the challenges and scope of the problems it faces — working to improve infrastructure and provide better service to all the inhabitants of the area while minimizing disruption to customers. As the administrator put it, “we continue working on improvements and rehabilitation of our potable water delivery system, wastewater pumping stations, and many other issues.”

It’s worth asking Oromapas about the discount they typically offer for early payment of your annual water bill: paying in January can earn you around a 15% discount, February closer to 10%, and March about 5%. It’s a welcome way to offset the annual rate increases.

While the municipal water and sewer service is not perfect, it is improving thanks to the newer management of Oromapas La Peñita. Water is a basic necessity that everyone should never take for granted. Water is essential for a healthy quality of life. Thanks, Oromapas, for all you do!