Promoters of environmental development

Usage of water resources

For Azucarera El Viejo, the protection of water resources is highly important, especially in current times, when climate change can cause droughts that make river flows decrease considerably.

The company, as a Promoter of Environmental Development, implements several actions to lower water consumption, both at industrial and agricultural levels.

At industrial level:

  • Water conveyance project: In 2015, an important investment was made to bring water in concession from the Arenal Lake to our industrial plant. This allows reducing dependency on the Tempisque River.
  • Ash cleaning system: the amount of water that was extracted from the Tempisque River for washing ashes was considerably reduced, going from 1,200 gallons per minute (gal/min) to only 120 gal/min through water recirculation.
  • Elimination of sugarcane washing: For the harvest of 2011-2012, we eliminated the washing of sugarcane, which translated into savings of approximately 3,000 gal/min,
pila recirculacion

At agricultural level:

  • Use of moisture sensors to determine the exact moment when the plant needs water and how much it needs, which prevents waste.
  • Piping and pressurization of irrigation systems to prevent loss due to evaporation or infiltration.
  • High-efficiency irrigation systems. Close to 1,000 hectares (12% of the entire production area) use irrigation systems with efficiencies higher than 90% such as pivot irrigation, 800 hectares, and drip irrigation, 189 hectares, leading to water savings of 56% compared to traditional irrigation systems. Additionally, for a better management of water resources.

Some complementary actions are:

  • Installation of water meters for the consumption in offices and homes.
  • Reforestation on the margins of water bodies. In a period of 10 years, 6,500 trees have been planted and given maintenance.
  • Wastewater treatment: the wastewater of the mill, once treated, is re-used in the irrigation of sugarcane to minimize spilling in the Tempisque River and the extraction of more water.
  • Awareness raising campaigns about the environment for collaborators and nearby communities.

Our commitment as Promoters of Environmental Development is for the new and future generations to be provided with sufficient water resources to be able to continue with the development of the production activities that our country needs.