海角大神

It's a windy afternoon and Lake Atitl谩n is choppy. Laden with 14 passengers, the last ferry of the day is about halfway across the lake when the captain abruptly cuts the engine.

"Demasiada basura," he says. Too much trash. The boat is encircled by floating plastic bottles and other household garbage that threatens to gum up the motor. The boat is moving again soon enough, but just a few minutes later the captain stops again to clear debris.

"People don't get it," he says, shaking his head.

Ringed by verdant volcanoes and enchanting little villages, Lake Atitl谩n has been called the most beautiful lake in the world and is one of Guatemala's top tourist attractions. But the lake is slowly dying because of the thousands of tons of trash, fertilizer, and raw sewage dumped into its now-murky waters each year. At stake is not only the area鈥檚 dominant tourism industry, but also the livelihood of its small-scale fishermen and the fate of some 100,000 indigenous Guatemalans who rely on the lake for drinking water.

鈥淭he lake is in a very precarious state,鈥� says聽Sudeep Chandra, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the project director for United for Lake Atitl谩n, an international research partnership that recently released its 2013 State of the Lake report.

Atitl谩n is Central America鈥檚 deepest lake, and is surrounded by 15 communities made up of around 350,000 people. Yet only a few inefficient sewage treatment plants serve the area. That has led to dangerous algae blooms, including toxic cyanobacteria, which prompted the Global Nature Fund to designate Atitl谩n its 鈥淭hreatened Lake of the Year鈥� in 2009. Since then, despite widespread media coverage and the announcement of an ambitious government plan to clean up the lake, the report found 鈥渘o apparent improvement in wastewater management around the lake."聽

But recent collaborations between local researchers and scientists abroad who have dealt with similar challenges in the past are offering a glimmer of hope for Lake Atitl谩n鈥檚 future.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just one of many lakes in developing countries that are facing the same problems that developed countries faced 40 years ago,鈥� says Mr. Chandra, whose USAID-funded investigation paired up Guatemalan researchers with those who work on Lake Tahoe, in the US's Sierra Nevada. 鈥淲hether China or Honduras or Guatemala, they鈥檙e putting sewage directly into their lakes, and that is what鈥檚 causing these problems.鈥�

Just 3 to 5 percent of wastewater in Latin America is treated at all, according to the report. Existing wastewater treatment plants at Lake Atitl谩n do not remove the phosphorus on which polluting bacteria feeds, nor pathogens like E.coli and giardia that threaten human health.

The only viable solution for Atitl谩n, in the researchers鈥� view, is to do what Lake Tahoe did in the 1970s: Export wastewater out of the basin to be converted for agricultural use, rather than build more treatment plants at the lake.

Lakes in Italy, Germany, Russia, and elsewhere have also adopted this approach. An Italian delegation recently came to Guatemala to share its experiences cleaning up Lake Como. Here, however, drumming up political support for protecting the lake is an added challenge. A grant from the Spanish government, for example, had been in limbo for years due to a lack of complementary funding from Guatemalan authorities.

鈥淔or the Italians it was easier, because they have [more] homogeneous [communities], but this is a very culturally complex region,鈥� says Monica Orozco, whose Center for Atitl谩n Studies at the Universidad del Valle was a partner in the Italian visit. She鈥檚 referring to Guatemala鈥檚 diverse mix of Western and indigenous languages, customs, and cultures.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy to make changes in attitudes,鈥� Ms. Orozco says.

Near the dock at Panajachel, the menu at a charming but empty lakeside restaurant promises grilled lake fish to go along with its stunning volcano views. Though the trash floating around the shore below and the faint smell of sewage don't inspire much confidence, there鈥檚 some indication the wheels of change are finally starting to turn. A new master plan for the lake is expected this summer from the Lake Atitl谩n Sustainable Management Authority (AMSCLAE), which is considering the recommendation offered by Chandra鈥檚 team, among other options.

鈥淭he scientific information is very clear,鈥� says Ivan Azurdia, executive director of AMSCLAE. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 part of the negotiation. There are many interests and opinions involved."

鈥淭here is still a strong possibility to conserve Lake Atitl谩n and make it beautiful again,鈥� says Chandra. 鈥淏ut unless the government and local people act quickly, it will become very similar to other lakes of the world [whose decline] is almost impossible to reverse.鈥�