Name of the Project
Riachuelo environmental restoration project.

Location
Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Client
Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos.

Project Description
The project involves the return of urban waste water to the Plata river, downstream of the planned treatment plant known as Riachuelo using a deep 12-km-long subriver outlet.

The outlet comprises:
• a load shaft, about 50 m deep;
• a 10.5-km-long tunnel, with an internal diameter of 3.8 m, excavated using a double-shield tunnel-boring machine;
• a return shaft located at the far end of the tunnel in the Plata river; and
• a 1.5-km-long diffuser system, with an internal diameter ranging from 1.7 m to 3.8 m, anchored in the riverbed and equipped with 31 raisers for dispersing treated water into the river.

The project is the first part of a broader programme, funded by the World Bank, for the sustainable development of the Matanza-Riachuelo catchment basin, aimed at its environmental restoration and of the areas it passes through, considered among the most polluted in the world.

The entire project to clean up the basin includes the drilling of dozens of kilometres of sewers and tunnels and the construction of two treatment plants for sludge and water. It is partly financed by the Inter-American Development Bank, a division of the World Bank.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Value
The restoration programme value is estimated at $1.2-billion. The tunnel is being built at a cost of $450-million.

Duration
The project is expected to be completed by March 2021.

Latest Developments
Preparatory work for the excavation of a hydraulic tunnel started in July.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Too early to state.

Contact Details for Project Information
Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos, tel +54 11 6319 0000.