Four Water Projects To Be Delivered in 2023

Water scarcity has driven the need to develop more and better water infrastructure onto the public agenda. For this reason, the government has launched several water infrastructure projects in states that face a higher risk for droughts and are simultaneously key to Mexico’s economy. Four of these projects are expected to be inaugurated in 2023. 

Among different water-related projects under development, four stand out as key since they are located in densely-populated areas with developed industries like Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. These important projects are the El Cuchillo II aqueduct in Nuevo Leon, the drinking water supply for the Comarca Lagunera Region in Durango and Coahuila, the Santa Maria dam in Sinaloa and the Ecologic Park of the Lake of Texcoco in the State of Mexico.

El Cuchillo II
In Nuevo Leon, the construction of the El Cuchillo II aqueduct has become crucial since the state has been suffering from droughts for months on end. The dam’s infrastructure includes the construction of an aqueduct that will transport water from the El Cuchillo dam to the Monterrey metropolitan area. It will be 100km in length and hold the capacity to move over 5,000L/s. Construction is to start on Sept. 2, 2022, and is expected to finish within 10 months. The project was boosted by President López Obrador, who declared it a national security issue, making permitting and construction a smoother process. 

Drinking Water Supply for La Comarca Lagunera
In the La Comarca Lagunera region, the federal government launched tenders for the construction of an aqueduct to transport water from the Nazas river to Durango and Coahuila, which for years have been sourcing water from underground deposits that contain high concentrations of arsenic. The project will provide water to 1.6 million people in the region. On April 21, 2022, the developers installed the first pipelines. The project is developed by Ozone Geological Equipment, Regiomontana de Construcción and Ingeniería en Tratamiento de Agua. According to president López Obrador, the project will be operational in 2023. 

Santa Maria Dam
This project entails the construction of a dam in Sinaloa’s Baluarte river. The project is being developed by ICA and aims to promote better water usage and foster agricultural development as well as clean power production. The dam’s development began during Peña Nieto’s administration but was suspended and restarted by López Obrador in 2020. It is expected to be ready by the end of 2023.

Ecologic Park of the Lake of Texcoco 
The park aims to recover over 14,000ha of land, including through water restoration. The project is developed at what once was meant to become the New Mexico City International Airport (NAICM), focusing on lake, wetlands and lagoon restoration projects which will be developed along with a recreative space for the public. The project is expected to be ready by the end of 2023.