Lake Atitln is Dying

Lake Atitlan, located in the western highlands of Guatemala is widely considered to be one of the
most beautiful places on earth. The Lonely Planet Guide Book describes it as the closest thing to
Eden on Earth. The shoreline and the surrounding mountains are home to the indigenous
Kaqchikel and Tzutujil Maya, whose ancient languages, customs, and traditions are still practiced
today, and whose health and livelihoods are inextricably linked with the survival of Lake Atitln.
The lake itself sits in an enormous volcanic caldera. With 50 square miles of surface area and an
average depth of 220 meters it is an enormous body of water. Three volcanoes sit on or near its
shores and the area has a perfect highland climate, beautiful flora and fauna and because of
this, tourism is booming.
Due to the increases in tourism and the resulting expansion of agriculture and population, Lake
Atitln is becoming more contaminated every year. The crater has no outflow, so everything that
flows in stays in. This includes wastewater from more than 20 towns and vast quantities of chemical
fertilizer and pesticide. The lake is now so contaminated that it faces a real and imminent threat of
ecological collapse, of death. Nobody knows for certain how many more years it can survive if
sewage and chemicals continue to flow in at the present rate, but the point of no recovery could be
just a few years away. Doing nothing is not an option.

Shawn Eisenhauer
savelakeatitlan.com