(UPM, Paso de los Toros, 19 August 2020) – Within the framework for improving the infrastructure of areas where housing for construction workers for the new UPM pulp mill are being built, the opportunity to build a reverse osmosis plant was identified. The main objective of this is to increase the drinking water capacity and improve its quality to supply the entire town of Carlos Reyles, Uruguay, which today has about 1,000 inhabitants.
The installation of temporary accommodation for a maximum of 400 workers in the area will require a higher volume of drinking water consumption. This required the creation of an OSE (Obras Sanitarias del Estado, Uruguay state water utilities company) water source that was not part of the supply system until now.
The reverse osmosis plant will be operational in the first quarter of 2021 and will produce 6,000 litres/hour of quality water. At full operational capacity it will be able to supply more than 600 people. This work will improve the infrastructure for the future development of the town.
“We work to fulfil different objectives in the communities of influence, looking for the most appropriate solutions to improve the infrastructure. Carlos Reyles is an example of this. The reverse osmosis plant will guarantee a higher availability of quality drinking water and it will also be transferred to OSE once its construction is complete,” said Alejandro Tejada, UPM’s Head of Regional Projects.
The start-up of the plant will allow the OSE water source to be used as a source of raw water, which will be treated to reach optimal levels for consumption. From the treated water tank, the drinkable water will be pumped to OSE's existing upper reserve tanks which supply the Carlos Reyles water network.