Talk:Urban water management in Monterrey, Mexico

Notes

http://www.springerlink.com/content/b284881214112865/

Abstract: Monterrey metropolitan area’s growth has resulted in water transfers from the Río San Juan basin with significant impacts for downstream water users, especially farmers in the Bajo Río San Juan (BRSJ) irrigation district. El Cuchillo dam is the centerpiece of the basin’s water management infrastructure and has become the flashpoint of a multi-faceted water dispute between the states of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas as well as between urban and agricultural water interests in the basin. Subsequent to El Cuchillo’s implementation in 1994, the BRSJ irrigation district has been modifying its irrigation operations to adjust to the new water availability scenario. Compensation arrangements for farmers have been established, including crop loss payments on the order of US$ 100 per hectare un-irrigable due to the diversion of water to Monterrey plus 60% of the water diverted to be returned to farmers as treated effluent via the Ayancual Creek and Pesquería River, a process with its own water competition and environmental implications. The Mexican irrigation sector will continue to face intense competition for water given: (a) low water productivity in agriculture leading decision-makers to allocate water to higher productivity uses particularly in cities, (b) priority accorded to the domestic use component of municipal water supply, and in the BRSJ case, (c) Mexico’s national interests in meeting its water sharing obligations with the United States.

Mexico’s Northeast demonstrates an economic dynamism that outpaces the rest of the country. The region has his-torically taken advantage of linkages with the United States since 1848 when the Rı´o Bravo (Rio Grande in English) was fixed as the border. Agricultural development was spurred by investments in irrigation infrastructure in the first half of the 1900s when urban growth also gained momentum, particularly in the City of Monterrey (Mexico’s second largest city). The Mexican side of the border has experienced rapid urbanization, driven in part by the development of assembly plants (‘‘maquiladoras’’) that expanded significantly with the 1994 signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The maquiladora sector competes with agriculture for labor and, to a lesser extent, land and water; it also generates significant pollution that is an issue of binational negotiation over environmental quality. The Rıo San Juan sub-basin (see Fig. 1), which is the focus of this study, is the final Mexican tributary to the Rio Bravo before it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

San Pedro Basin: http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=KnGQ5Trt5qlwYRm8G4nF9JqL8mklx1LjfBXNXTWkrhQpc1xTbhMG!1048096975!-1899210215?docId=5006072301

Groundwater http://www.scribd.com/doc/17413175/Groundwater-Resources-Management-for-the-City-of-Monterrey-Mexico

Infrastructures: http://www.scribd.com/doc/17413175/Groundwater-Resources-Management-for-the-City-of-Monterrey-Mexico However, due to a severe drought that begun in 1986 most of the dams have been at only 25% of their capacity even though 64% of the drinking water comes from surface water. The advantage of surface water is that the levels can be measured with facility and strategy for a water contingency plan can be conducted with greater accuracy. The remaining drinking water is obtained by man-made tunnels and natural springs (3.20%); shallow and deep boreholes located in the “Metropolitan Area of Monterey Wellfield”, “Buenos Aires Wellfield” and “Mina Wellfield” which contribute 33% of the total water consumption. The “Buenos Aires Wellfield” is the most important one and contributes with 46% of the groundwater extracted (~ 1.5 m 3/s). It is located in the mountainous area of the “Huasteca Canyon” close to the city. The wellfield provides water of high quality with low cost of treatment. Water distribution is easy because of its relatively higher altitude to the city.