Engineering Better Water: Practical Strategies to Improve Quality

In Mexico, it's common to turn on the tap and wonder: Is this water drinkable? Is it “good”? Is it safe?

And we’re not just talking about rural or underserved areas. It also happens in urban apartments, offices, and private schools. That uncertainty is constant.

The numbers back this up: Mexico is the world's largest per capita consumer of bottled water, with an estimated 244 to 390 liters per person per year, according to EcoHealth Alliance. But the root of the issue isn’t poor individual decisions. It goes deeper: It's about the loss of trust in the water that reaches our homes.

Is it potable? Yes. Does it feel trustworthy? Not always.

Water leaving treatment plants complies with the regulations, but that quality rarely survives the journey to the tap. Old pipes, faulty connections, poorly maintained cisterns, rooftop tanks exposed to sun and dust — all of it can affect the water long before it’s consumed.

What comes out of the faucet often carries sediment, color, limescale, or an odd taste or smell. And even if it’s not always a direct health risk, it triggers an immediate red flag for the person using it.

An INEGI perception study in Jalisco found that satisfaction with tap water quality dropped from 62.6% to 40.7% in less than a decade. At the same time, reports of failing water infrastructure in urban areas have steadily increased. It is estimated that 40% of the potable water in Mexico is lost due to leaks before it even reaches end users.

What’s Visible Also Matters

We tend to think that what’s “invisible” in water is the real problem: bacteria, viruses, heavy metals. In reality, poor water perception often starts with what people can see or feel:

• The white limescale that ruins kettles and showerheads

• The sediment swirling in a glass

• The smell of chlorine or stagnant tanks after a storm

That perception has real consequences:

• Families spend more on bottled water.
• Public systems are distrusted
• Living with uncertainty becomes normalized

What can be done when infrastructure falls short?

Overhauling the country’s entire water network is a project that could take decades. In the meantime, millions of people need practical, affordable, and immediate solutions to take back control of their water.

What’s often missing is a clear framework for action: not a magical fix, but an intelligent strategy that respects the natural cycle of water.

Based on our experience designing purification and regeneration systems, we propose a stage-based approach that can be adapted to homes, schools, hotels, or industries:

1. Remove what’s visible (pre-treatment)

Get rid of sand, sediment, turbidity, and limescale.
The things that stain, clog, or damage appliances.
Ideal for well water, tanker trucks, or “hard” water areas.

2. Disinfect what’s invisible (microbiological safety)

Use UV, ozone, or dosing systems to inactivate bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.
Especially important when water is stored in cisterns or rooftop tanks.

3. Refine the sensitive (purification)

Improve taste, smell, pH, and remove chlorine, organics, and microparticles.
Because trust is also built through the senses.

4. Regenerate what is wasted (reuse)

Treat greywater or reverse osmosis reject for irrigation, cleaning, or technical uses.
A growing option in hotels, industries, and communities.

A Water Culture That Doesn’t Depend on Plastic

Eighty percent of bottled water consumed in Mexico is not recycled. Much of it ends up in rivers, streets, or landfills. What began as a temporary solution has become part of the problem.

But there's a massive opportunity if we change the question. It’s not just, “Is it potable?” It’s: How can I ensure that the water I use every day is truly safe, trustworthy, and regenerative?

The good news is that we don’t have to wait for the entire system to change. We can start at home, at work, in our communities. One decision at a time.

Because caring for water isn’t just the job of governments. It’s a way of protecting our bodies, our environment, and our trust.