Water

WaterEPM Water supports the well-being of the inhabitants of Medellín and its metropolitan area through the comprehensive management of the water cycle: the supply of excellent water
quality and the collection and treatment of wastewater.

EPM provides these services with certified quality throughout all phases of the process. EPM services ten municipalities in the Aburrá Valley: Medellín, Bello, Envigado, Itagüí, La Estrella, Sabaneta, Copacabana, Girardota, Caldas and Barbosa, servicing a total of 974,781 clients.

  • Drinking water treatment plants: 11.
  • Water pipelines: 3,580 kilometers.
  • Wastewater transport and collection networks: 4,367 kilometers.
  • Coverage: 100% of urban areas in the Aburrá Valley.

Find out more about the history of water and sewerage services in Medellín.

In the home, EPM natural gas can be used in different ways, and involves the installation of an internal pipeline, gas meter and domestic appliances that run on gas, all of which are governed by quality technical standards. The benefits of using natural gas in the home are: ease of use, increase in value of the property, safety, cleanliness, environmental conservation, productivity, efficiency and savings.

  • Homes served: 541,887 (including the Aburrá Valley and five municipalities).
  • SMEs and commerce: 7,828 (including the Aburrá Valley and five municipalities).

Gas is a clean source of energy that is both efficient and economic, and is an energy alternative to electricity and other fuels such as liquid gas (known as propane).

This clean source of energy allows desired temperatures to be quickly reached.

  • Uses
  • Cooking
  • Drying laundry
  • Heating water
  • Central heating

Since 2009, expansion to other municipalities in Antioquia has commenced through the compressed natural gas system. In 2011, five municipalities in the North will be added to those of La Ceja, La Unión, El Retiro, Guatapé and El Peñol, in the East: San Pedro de los Milagros, Yarumal, Donmatías, Enterríos and Santa Rosa de Osos.

It can be used in commercial premises, SMEs and small-scale industries.

It is an energy alternative to other fuels and represents a savings of nearly 40% versus liquid gas or LPG.

In addition, it does not require costly refining processes, which guarantees lower prices.

Industrial-sector uses

Boiler use to obtain steam at efficiency of up to 90%, fully exploiting the energy produced by the gas. Maintenance and operation of these systems is simpler due to minimizing sooty deposits, which therefore significantly reduces operation and maintenance costs.


  • Thermal treatment systems
    In these processes, electrical resistance is generally used, which takes much longer to reach the required temperatures. With EPM natural gas, this process takes less time, which results in significant savings, not just in terms of greater productivity, but also because kilowatts produced with energy have a higher price. When fuels are replaced by EPM natural gas, greater efficiency is achieved due to its cleanliness.
  • Baking
    It is used in high-temperature processes such as metallurgy and baking, whether required in the kitchen or in the bakery. The transfer of heat through convection is better in natural gas appliances because the flame is uniform. In addition, the processes are cleaner, and therefore, the quality of products improves and problems such as the obstruction of filters, combustion chambers, ducts and exhaust systems do not arise.
  • Cooking
    Natural gas is used in industrial food preparation, providing rapid cooking thereof and a constant and uninterrupted service. The market offers an extensive variety of equipment for this process, which is adapted to different needs.

Processes involving Gas

  • Steam generation
    Pasteurization, chemical processes, drying, cooking and food preparation.
  • Heat generation
    Cooking, thermal treatment, water heating.
  • Cold generation
    Control of environmental conditions in enclosed spaces and food conservation.
  • This service is reflected in better air quality in the Metropolitan Area of Medellín.
  • Vehicles converted to VNG in the Aburrá Valley: 35,000.
  • Service stations: 56.