Low Energy Arsenic Free (LEAF) Water Supply – piloting of innovative drinking water supply technologies and upscaling towards implementation in Argentina Short general project overviewArsenic contamination of drinking water is an issue of national concern in Argentina. The most affected region is the Chaco-Pampean plain. This region is densely populated and, therefore, contamination of groundwater with arsenic poses a serious risk to a large population that rely on groundwater as a source of drinking water. In the National Water Plan (Plan Nacional del Agua de Argentina), the Secretary for Infrastructure and Water policy indicates that supply of good quality drinking water is one of the main objectives. The development of a cost-effective arsenic removal system for drinking water supply is considered essential to reduce health risk effects of arsenic, such as (skin, lung and bladder) cancer and neurotoxicity.The costs of electricity are a major component of the total operational costs of water supply systems in Argentina. The high electricity consumption that is related to water supply, the strongly increasing costs of electricity and the need to reduce CO2 emissions that result from coal fired power plants, urge to develop more energy efficient arsenic removal systems and to supply more water with less energy to the consumers.The Netherlands Consortium Partners would like to introduce and export innovative energy saving technology to Argentina and want to replicate this technology in a Low Energy Arsenic Free (LEAF) water supply concept at more sites in Argentina. The Dutch practice of using FeCl3 based co-precipitation followed by Rapid Sand Filtration (C-RSF) or Ultrafiltration (C-UF) enables to reduce the arsenic levels in the supplied drinking water to levels of less 1 µg/l. Moreover, this can be done at a much lower cost.The Argentine Consortium Partner and the other Argentine partners are interested in upscaling the LEAF concept if pilot testing proves to be successful and the required costs for building and operating a LEAF Water Supply System are affordable.It is expected that the water quality and the reduced operational costs of the LEAF groundwater supplies and the reduced operational costs of the Aquasuite controlled surface water supplies will offer increased water security and water safety, and will help in providing better access to clean drinking water to more users in Argentina, in line with the goals set in the National Water Plan of Argentina.Initial activities and results of the projectIn the proposed Pilot project, LEAF will demonstrate arsenic removal using both Rapid Sand Filtration (C-RSF) and Ultrafiltration (C-UF) at one of the groundwater treatments plants (Ezeiza or la Celia) that AySA is operating. The Aquasuite pilot will be done at one of the surface water treatment plants.The results of the tests will be used to define an Investment & Financing Plan for:1. converting all existing and required new groundwater supplies in the water supply areas of AySA, ABSA and ASSA into Low Energy & Arsenic Free (LEAF) water supplies using the demonstrated C-RSF and C-UF technology;2. bringing all 3 surface water treatment plants operated by AySA under Aquasuite operational control.