Photo by María Rodríguez
Publication authorized by Noticias con Valor SMA
The Drought Monitor of the National Water Commission in Mexico indicates that San Miguel de Allende is «abnormally dry.» In the meantime, northeastern parts of the state are classified as “drought.” This is a discouraging situation for the Presa de Allende, where pollution and water lily overgrowth have drowned out life in the municipality’s main body of water. Currently, the lake is only 39.9% full with respect to CONAGUA’s (ational water commission) Ordinary Maximum Storage Level guidelines for the dry season, so levels could reach percentages similar to those of 2020 and 2021, when it was almost at the point of drying out, reaching only 16% of its capacity.
According to the Drought Monitor, Guanajuato presents a medium probability of drought, and based upon the latest report, seven municipalities are experiencing severe drought, i.e., Atarjea, León, Ocampo, San Felipe, Santa Catarina, Tierra Blanca, and Xichú, most of whose runoff feeds the Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel dams. Coupled with the problem of drought, pollution and the water lily infestation present a serious problem for District 85’s «La Begoña,» which depends on the water for crop irrigation and decided this year to save the little water available from the Ignacio Allende Dam for the spring-summer cycle and gave up using autumn-winter irrigation.
Pollution has been a major factor in the decrease of storage and in the proliferation of the water lily. This invasive plant multiplies in polluted waters. Multiple solutions have been sought to combat the water lily, but the most viable solution is to attack the contamination of the body of water. This would control the growth of the water lily and possibly lead to its eradication.
De Lirio: A Hope for the Communities Affected by the Water Lily
The communities surrounding the Allende Dam that subsist on fishing, have experienced great difficulties as a result of the proliferation of the water lily. An association called De Lirio (from lily) was formed with a goal of supporting the affected residents. Part of the effort is providing workshops on how to transform the water lily into handicrafts.
The residents of the communities of Cabras, Agustín González, and Flores de Begoña have been removing the water lilies and using the plants to make handicrafts that they sell in bazaars. In addition, De Lirio directly helps families and contributes to the fight against the water lily problem.
CONAGUA Holds Municipalities Responsible for Wastewater Discharges
In January, the state water commission stated that it is implementing actions in San Miguel de Allende to combat the water lily in the Ignacio Allende dam. They are demanding that municipalities with a high incidence of irregular wastewater discharge—in particular, the municipalities of San Miguel, Dolores Hidalgo CIN, San Diego de la Unión, and San Felipe—create a program to stop irregular water discharges and to increase sanitation infrastructure.
With the goal of stemming the invasion of water lilies in the Ignacio Allende dam, CONAGUA has done sampling of water discharges from San Miguel and Dolores Hidalgo CIN wastewater treatment plants to record the quality of the discharges. These tests are part of the program of the National Water Quality Measurement Network (RENAMECA), which hopes to find appropriate actions to be carried out.
The local director of CONAGUA in Guanajuato, Vicente Zepeda López, spoke about these issues. He pointed out that there will be an installation of a checkpoint for water discharge. This will allow protection of federal infrastructure, as well as controls of gates or intake works that could affect the population downstream of the dam. He also pointed out that they are contemplating installing another retainer in 2023, which is looked upon as a containment measure for the water lily. It would allow for the plant to be kept in specific areas and facilitate its manual or mechanical removal. This would be a way to start with the extraction of the aquatic weeds through the three orders of government. Zepeda López specified that the Guanajuato local offices, with the aid of federal programs, have created infrastructure and begun sanitation actions. These will be within the municipalities of San Miguel, Dolores Hidalgo CIN, San Diego de la Union, and San Felipe.
In addition, the operating agencies of the aforementioned municipalities can execute sewerage and sanitation works or actions by adhering to the Rights Refund Program (PRODDER) and the Residual Water Sanitation Program (PROSANEAR). They can do this as long as they are up to date in the payment of rights and do not have pending debts from previous years. He stressed that inspection visits will continue at wastewater discharge points to identify and eradicate pollution that triggers this problem. There will be administrative sanction procedures for acting outside the law in terms of wastewater discharges.
Zepeda stated that eradication of these clandestine discharges will continue, as well as promotion of correct sanitation of wastewater discharges. If these pollution problems are not addressed, the conditions will remain for the proliferation of the water lily. Simply removing the aquatic weed is not sufficient without addressing the pollution problem.
There will also be establishment of an investment portfolio for projects dealing with control of the water lily. This will include both medium- and long-term activities. The harmful effects of the water lily include increase in the rate of evapotranspiration, the hindrance to fishing and development of recreational activities, as well as the effect on the hydraulic operation of the dam.
As a final point, Zepeda emphasized that he will continue to participate in coordination meetings with the municipality of San Miguel and the state government, all with the goal of establishing an action plan aimed at controlling water lilies.
