water supply

[McNally del Campo]

Hello, I'm new to the forums. I live in the US with my wife who is Mexican. Her hometown is a few hours away from GTO, toward Mexico City.

Water shortages are common in her town and I wonder how people feel about the water supply in Guanajuato. Does anyone know where the municipal water is pumped from? Do the potable water trucks get it from the same place? Any thoughts on whether the aquifer is being overused?

Thanks, Craig

[McNally del Campo]

Hello everyone, I did some searching around and came up with two finds. Like most of Mexico, the idea I get is that 1) the area has been built up quicker than the infrastructure can support, and 2) there isn't enough groundwater resources to support the usage. I have links to them here-----

http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?scri...3000400007

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTWA...banWSS.pdf

One of them is a set of presentation slides, mostly addressing water supply infrastructure in the city. The english translation isn't that great, which makes some details difficult to understand. Also, the data is dated, so it leaves me guessing about the last 13 years for some parts.

The other is a journal article, written by someone at the University of Guanajuato. The information is interesting, such as decreasing aquifer levels (he cites 10 feet per year in some areas), the high use of water for agriculture (87%), and the main point of the paper-- the correlation between higher temperatures and decreased rainfall.

If anyone is interested in a discussion, I would be happy to learn more.

[jesm]

We are four year, full time residents of GTO. Prior to our retirement here I spent 30+ years in water supply and water utility management so I share your keen interest in the present and future condition of water availability.

A close personal friend and professional colleague has been working as a consultant to both the GTO and Aquascalientes state governments and thus has access to the very latest data for both source and demand, ie where water comes from and where it is used.

His conclusion, contained in a report presented in 2014 to our State government, is not encouraging. In short, the available groundwater is beng pumped and depleted at an unsustainable pace due to the rapid population increases across the region combined with growing industrialization. However most impactful is the continual and increasing water use by large-scale agricultural operations primarily in the southern portion of the state. The final report was so pessimistic that the state government refused to accept and publish the findings as it would have ignited a political confrontation between people vs planters. The forecast, if current use patterns and population growth continue without change, is our groundwater supply will be essentially pumped dry over the next 30 years without some hard decisions as to water priority: large farms or large cities?
While surface water, ie rivers, are limited and seasonal they too must be fully managed to help avert a future where extreme conservation measures will be required. One such project is under construction on the Verde River close to the Jalisco and GTO border, with a massive dam project that will see water shared between Jalisco users and metro Leon, whch is projected to have over 3 million residents by 2035. Such projects involve huge infrastructure costs plus the political will and wisdom to actually share water across watershed and political boundaries. Ths is very difficult to accomplish. As we learned years ago, Jack Daniels is for drinking, water is for fighting!

We are not unique in our predicament, California confronts an almost identical situation, and no one has a simple or painless solution.

[McNally del Campo]

Hi Jesm,

I'm happy to hear back from someone with so much knowledge about this topic. Your message is not particularly comforting, but its important information to know. My wife and I intend to move to Mexico, perhaps in the next 10 years, and I am worried about the future of this area. We're relatively young, so I'd like to plan 50+ years out.

Rooftop water collection seems very feasible in most parts of Mexico, and it looks like its being adopted in rural areas, since lots of people already store water in tanks and cisterns, but being a city with lots of rock, I don't think Guanajuato (city) could switch. Plus, the it seems like the rain comes during only a few months, so you'd have to have capacity for an 8 month supply. Unless the houses already have the underground structure, there doesn't seem like a reasonable way to add a cistern that big. I imagine when supplies run short, agriculture and the further out residential areas would lose out on some of their share. In her experience in Mexico priorities, my wife thinks there is no way the central city itself would be limited.

If you moved here 4 years ago, and the study from your friend was done only 2 years ago, did you have any concerns about the water supply beforehand? Are you concerned for you own personal supply (years down the line) of water or would you not be in Guanajuato long enough?

Merida or Xalapa would be our next choice of areas to go if Guanajuato doesn't have a bright future.

[jesm]

I would not worry too mch, even with a 50 year, or longer horizon. We will always develop a solution to future water shortages, the main question is what will our water cost out in the future. Water is badly under priced at this point, too cheap for the benefit it gives, life itself, and to develop funds for the big, big projects that will be required as the "easy" water is lost.
We have the "silver bullet" already, social niceties just prevent its us: recycled wastewater. Yes, we can easily take all our wastewater and treat and disinfect so it is actually cleaner than the water we drink everyday. Problem solved but first we must get past "crap to tap" fears, but that will happen as water becomes properly valued.
Come to Mexico, the water be fine.

[MNRon]

A few summers ago water restrictions were imposed in the city of Guanajuato. Most of GTO's water comes from nearby reservoirs, which had not been adequately recharged by seasonal rains. Selected neighborhoods only had water every other day, and alternate days had to rely on their rooftop tanks. Many places had signs asking patrons to minimize water use.

[doncoulter]

The water rationing a few years back was no hardship for most households. Yes, water was delivered only on alternate days, but the rooftop tanks (tinacos) in most cases hold enough water to last three or four days--depending, of course, on the size of one's household.

Don

[jesm]

Indeed Don, I feel every homeowner should have some amount of on-premise storage. Tinaco, cistern, something to carry on thru a short-term shortage. Very inexpensive insurance IMO. Most water utilities figure an average household uses around 75 gallons per day, exclusive of irrigation uses. An 1100 liter tinaco would be good for 3-4 days, or much longer if you went to any form of deep conservation, then you are at a week or more.
As mentioned GTO city is hghly dependent on ranfall fed reservoirs for much of our available water. One or two low rainfall years and we are back again to a mandatory, but mild (every other day) conservation program. With a tinaco you never even know it happens.

[roberb7]

I saw a newspaper article today that said that we've had enough rain this month so that the reservoirs are at good levels. Here it is: http://www.am.com.mx/2016/06/14/guanajua...gua-291401

[McNally del Campo]

Thank you all for your responses.