Beautiful Lake Atitlán is Polluted and Needs our Help
Celebrated for its natural beauty and picturesque Maya villages, Lake Atitlán in the western highlands of Guatemala is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.
It is also the historic, economic, cultural, and spiritual heart of the 300,000 indigenous Kaqchikel and Tz'utujil Maya who depend on the lake for their livelihood and live in the mountain-side communities around it. It has been their home for at least 1800 years. 100,000 of them depend on the lake for drinking water.
With few roads around the lake, communities have kept their traditional ways and rely on walking and boat travel for local transportation. (See Slide Show.)
The lake itself fills a 50 square mile caldera created 85,000 years ago, the result of a major volcanic eruption. With a depth of 340 meters (1115 feet), it is the deepest lake in Central America. Surrounded by three 3000 meter (10,000 foot) volcanoes, rich with exotic flora and birds, and located at 1556 meters (5105 feet), the Atitlán basin offers the sun-warmed days and crisp nights of spring all year round.
This combination of dramatic beauty, climate, and traditional culture draws tourists in increasing numbers.
Economically the Lake Atitlán basin is the most important natural attraction in Guatemala and only the colonial city of Antigua, a world heritage site, draws more tourist revenue.
But the Lake is Polluted!
Environmental degradation and the introduction of game fish have almost destroyed the lake's fishing industry which formerly supported 200 families. For most, visitors and residents alike, the still incredible beauty of the lake masks the reality that inadequately treated waste-water will soon overwhelm it to where it cannot recover.
With increased tourist and local populations and inadequate wastewater treatment, the once clear lake has become overwhelmed by organic material and can no longer maintain a healthy balance. Transparency has decreased steadily from 11 meters (36 feet) since 1970 and at a faster rate in the last decade. That loss is linked to the depletion of oxygen which is essential for fish and plants (read more). Other sources contributing to lake degradation include runoff from chemical fertilizers, deforestation resulting in soil loss, and continued use of phosphorus in laundry detergents.
One of nine wastewater treatment plants serving 11 municipalities that discharge untreated or partially treated sewage into the lake. None of the plants' water samples meet the national parameters to qualify for release into the lake. A twelfth municipality has no treatment plant.
Scientists and government officials agree that:
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Raw sewage from the 350,000 residents must be stopped from entering the lake if it has any chance to survive.
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The window of opportunity to halt the damage before it becomes irreversible is closing rapidly. Government officials generally estimate that action must be soon to be effective (read more).
The wastewater treatment plant in Panajachel, the anchor city and stepping off point to the other villages, was destroyed by Hurricane Stan in 2005, and, despite attempts, was never fully replaced. The town is the largest producer of wastewater on the lake.
The solution: national vs local responsibility
While a previous Guatemalan Administration planned a federal solution to remove wastewater from the basin for treatment, that responsibility has shifted to each of the twelve municipalities. In 2016, national officials and Amsclae, the federal agency in charge of protecting the basin, charged local mayors with building, replacing, or renovating their community wastewater plants. Deadlines have been set and passed with some progress but little success.
The Challenge
Because of the federal mandate, the local governments must address the sophisticated challenges of planning, contracting for, funding, and overseeing construction and operation of wastewater treatment plants that meet globally recognized national standards. These nine standards must be met before treated water can be discharged into the lake (read more).
The Cost of Failure
Though the federal mandate is in place, specific plans at the local level remain vague. The economy of the Atitlan basin is booming. Relative prosperity increases in the lake communities; foreigners, and Guatemaltecos from the cities, build lake homes; tourism continues to rise, and the lake remains, if not so clear, still astonishingly beautiful. With little input from constituents and little visual evidence for the demise of the lake, local officials often have other priorities for federal and local tax money.
Meanwhile, scientists and government officials agree the lake status quo cannot continue for more than a few years. The putrefying algae blooms of previous years will be back. They will increase in size and stay longer, leading to the death of the lake or eutrophication. Before that however, the tourists who came to enjoy the lake's beauty will have found other vacation destinations.The home owners will have left the lake's shore to escape the relentless swamp odors of decaying organic material. Many businesses based on the tourist economy will fail. The most severe cost will fall on the Maya. Without local employment, they may need return to work the coffee and sugar cane harvests coastal fincas as their grandparents did before the tourists came. Children will need to contribute to the family income making even basic education an unaffordable luxury. The increasing cyanobacteria will cause additional and more serious health problems. Finally, the physical, spiritual, and cultural focus of these 1800 year old Tz'utujil and Kaqchikel communities centered on the lake will die.
Though every school child and their parents appreciate the beauty of the lake and understand at some level the importance of caring for it, the critical threat of untreated wastewater and its catastrophic implications have not yet been made explicit.
While local officials are often elected with little or no government experience, there is public support to take action among the small minority who understand the pollution problem. Democracy is a fairly recent development in Guatemala but the communities believe in and support change through civic action.
WHAT VIVA LAGO ATITLÁN DOES
The role of Viva Lago Atitlán (VLA) is to educate all residents and those who influence them about the problem, and the critical need for a solution now while there is still time. Our goal is to reach adults, young adults, and children in every community, tourists, civic leaders, business owners, and government leaders at the local, departmental, national and international levels. We educate and inform through whatever means our target audiences gather information and opinions. Since each community is responsible for wastewater treatment, our emphasis is on educating voters. We encourage them to speak with candidates for mayor about the future of the lake and to elect those who commit to a change Our common concern for the lake binds those who were born here and those who are fortunate to share the lake's beauty. Viva Lago Atitlán, Inc is a U.S. based 501(c)(3)non-profit organization incorporated in the state of New York.
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Mural on elementary school,. Santa Cruz la Laguna. "I like Santa Cruz clean and I don't like garbage"
Panajachel, Earth Day Parade
"Don't throw garbage in Lake Atitlán"
"We respect our planet"
"Our lake is one of the most beautiful in the world"
AMSCLAE, a federal agency, and other concerned groups have raised awareness of soil erosion and particularly solid waste disposal. Education, however, is urgently needed on the source of pollution that most threatens the lake: Inadequate treatment of wastewater and the consequences of failing to act.