Introduction:As a globally renowned coffee-producing country, Costa Rica’s agriculture is highly dependent on stable water resources. However, in recent years, the nation has been plagued by water pollution and supply shortages — from xylene contamination in water sources to insufficient reservoir capacity — the growing environment for crops continues to deteriorate. This article delves into how aging infrastructure and climate change threaten coffee quality and yield, along with practical insights into local response strategies.

Famous for its abundant water resources and active geothermal activity, Costa Rica is also one of the world’s major exporters of coffee, pineapples, and bananas. Yet in recent years, water supply systems across many parts of the country have repeatedly sounded alarm bells — from industrial pollutants infiltrating waterways to seasonal droughts — the water sources vital to agriculture are facing unprecedented challenges.

According to official statistics, the Autonomous Executive Port and Aqueducts and Sewers Administration (AyA) had a budget execution rate of only 48.8% between 2017 and 2023, indicating a chronic lack of investment in infrastructure over the long term. As a result, multiple regions frequently experience insufficient water pressure or even complete outages, especially affecting coffee-growing areas that rely on stable irrigation.

Since the beginning of this year, drinking water contaminated with xylene has been reported in central Moravia and nearby towns; subsequently, counties such as Hatillo have seen issues with excessive hydrocarbon levels, accompanied by severe water shortages. By March, multiple cities fell into prolonged water supply interruptions. Local water authorities explained that these were temporary measures taken to prioritize resource allocation to areas suffering more severe disasters.

However, professional hydrochemists have challenged this explanation. They emphasize that Costa Rica should be a water-rich country, with annual precipitation in some mountainous regions reaching up to 4,000 to 5,000 millimeters, but long-standing issues such as aging pipelines and serious leakage problems, combined with inadequate reservoir capacity planning, have led to a large amount of precious water being unable to be effectively stored and utilized.

Agriculture experts specifically point out that once polluted water seeps into the soil, it can not only directly poison the root systems of coffee plants, but also disrupt the soil microbial environment. In the long run, this will severely impact the flavor profile of the crops and overall yield. More troublingly, meteorological forecasts suggest that the La Niña phenomenon may return later this year, intensifying drought pressure and potentially exacerbating an already fragile water supply system.

In response to the ongoing crises, AyA authorities have announced the launch of an “Investment Acceleration Plan,” aimed at renovating aging pipelines and upgrading water purification facilities. However, officials admitted that due to prior mismanagement leading to funding gaps, the currently available budget is still insufficient to support nationwide large-scale renewal projects, and progress in improvements is likely to be gradual.

Industry insiders recommend that coffee farmers can temporarily adopt drip irrigation systems for precise water use, closely monitor changes in water source quality, and when necessary, use water filtration equipment to reduce the risk of pollutants. Although these adaptive measures cannot fully resolve structural issues, they can at least help minimize losses in the short term and maintain basic growing conditions for the crops.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.