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Incorporating Natural Infrastructure in Bogotá’s Water System

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The city of Bogotá, Colombia, faces an array of complex water challenges. Crumbling infrastructure, water contamination, and climate change are making it more and more difficult for the city to secure drinkable water for its population of over 7 million people.

This report explores how investments in natural infrastructure can generate significant economic savings for Bogotá’s water utility through reduced operational costs due to improved sediment and nitrogen control. These savings not only benefit the water utility, but would diversify Bogotá’s portfolio of water sources and reduce the need for reservoir expansion, improving water security for the city.

This report was written with Conservation International Colombia and Bogotá’s water utility, Empresa de Acueducto y Alcantarillado de Bogotá.

Authored by:

Santiago Izquierdo-Tort, Diego Restrepo-Zambrano, Suzanne Ozment, Natalia Acero, Laura Bulbena, Juana Camacho, Laura Villegas Ortiz, Fabio Arjona, Patricia Bejarano, Mario Mora and Margoth Garcia