Mexico City to Shut Wells as Two Metro-Area Water Projects Advance
Mexico City expects more water by the end of next year from projects at Presa Guadalupe and Zumpango, letting it close wells that cause sinking.
Mexico City plans to take some of its water wells out of service once new surface water starts arriving from two projects in the State of Mexico, according to El Universal. The city’s water secretary said the goal is for more water to reach the capital by the end of next year.
Closing wells matters because pumping groundwater out from under the city causes the ground to sink, and the secretary tied the plan to both subsidence and water quality.
Who announced it
José Mario Esparza Hernández heads Segiagua (the Secretaría de Gestión Integral del Agua, Mexico City’s water management agency). He described the projects while appearing before members of the Congreso local (Mexico City’s legislature) as part of the review of the city government’s second annual report.
He said Segiagua is working with Conagua (the Comisión Nacional del Agua, Mexico’s federal water agency) and with CAEM (the Comisión del Agua del Estado de México, the State of Mexico’s water commission) on metropolitan-scale drinking water projects.
The two projects
- At Presa Guadalupe, a reservoir in the State of Mexico, the plan includes plants to treat rainwater and a potabilizadora (a plant that makes water safe to drink), so rain that falls in the area can be used as a supply.
- Work is also under way at Lago de Zumpango, a lake in the same state, according to the report.
Esparza said money for the projects comes from Fideicomiso 1928, a trust fund that collects the fees paid for water from the Sistema Cutzamala (the Cutzamala water system).
What it means for residents
For people living in the capital, the secretary pointed to two expected gains: less sinking of the ground in areas where wells now pump, and fewer problems with water quality. According to Esparza, the agreement under discussion with Conagua is to stop running some wells as the new surface water comes in.
He described two tracks. At the metropolitan level, wells would close as water from the State of Mexico projects arrives. Inside Mexico City, the city also expects to shut some wells using water it recovers through efficiency work, while trying to distribute water more evenly among residents. He did not say which wells or which neighborhoods would be affected first.
The secretary also linked the plan to water quality. He said bringing in more surface water and relying less on wells would help the city avoid problems with the quality of its water.
What happens next
No firm opening date was given for either project. The stated target is more water for the city by the end of next year, with well closures to follow as that supply arrives. The work depends on three agencies acting together: Segiagua in the city, Conagua at the federal level and CAEM in the State of Mexico, with funding drawn from the Cutzamala fees held in Fideicomiso 1928.
Source: El Universal
