A water crisis in Monterrey

Mexican utility Servicios de Agua y Drenaje de Monterrey (SADM) is combatting water scarcity issues in Nuevo Leon through pressure regulation and increased real-time monitoring.

SADM is one of the few utilities that serves the whole state and is the only one in Mexico that treats its wastewater.

One of the major problems when it comes to moving water around Monterrey is that it is a city of mountains, which means it can take a lot of pressure to get water to certain areas. 

SADM is now in the process of implementing its MAN (meter asset management) strategy, which will see the installation of intelligent meters across its system.

After years of drought and depletion of water in two of its main dams, the team at SADM decided to focus on the water already in the system, rather than find new sources. By monitoring its DMAs and regulating pressure, it found a solution to tackle the problem of intermittent supply among the citizens of Monterrey, while helping to retain more water in its dams.

This year the weather in Nuevo León, a state in Mexico with the administrative center of Monterrey has been inclement. 
During the heat waves, temperatures reached above 45°C, and rains have been scarce throughout 2023, which is why drought affects more than 47% of the territory. Thus, the state dams threaten to dry up in the coming months, alerting the authorities to a possible shortage. 

According to the INEGI, rainfall in the state is scarce, with an annual average of 650 mm. Mostly, the rainy season is during the summer, mainly in August and September. However, despite the optimism of the authorities, the rains in these months in Nuevo León were below average in 2023. 

In addition, Luis Carlos Alatorre, delegate of Nuevo León of the National Water Commission, reported that there are no favorable rain forecasts in the state for September and October, which will mean a blow to local dams.

Monterrey’s chances of avoiding another water crisis this summer are good, officials in the northern city said. March rainfall was above the historical average, a trend that is expected to hold through June.

The Monterrey Water and Дренажная система (SADM) director added that the outlook is also hopeful given that the El Cuchillo II aqueduct, which will deliver up to 5,000 liters of water per second to the city, is scheduled to begin operations in June or July. The under-construction La Libertad dam will also serve as a water source for Monterrey’s residents.  

The Monterrey metropolitan area is supplied by three dams: La Boca, Cerro Prieto and El Cuchillo. 

The National Water Commission (CONAGUA) reports this year that Cerro Prieto is currently holding 47,846,000 cubic meters of water, 15.9% of its total capacity, while La Boca is holding 24,800,000 cubic meters; 61% of its capacity. El Cuchillo, Monterrey’s largest dam, is reported to be storing 533,162,000 cubic meters, slightly under half of its total capacity.

Not everyone in Monterey can afford to buy bottled water because the price has tripled recently. The water, which is delivered for free by truck by city services, is usually brown and not fit for drinking. Due to the worst drought in 30 years, water reservoirs in northern Mexico are rapidly emptying. Access to drinking water is now restricted to 23 million people. In many cities, the day is approaching when water supplies will run out completely. The atmospheric phenomenon of La Niña is to blame for this, adding to the high temperatures, which are only increasing every year.
Already four states in the north of the country have declared a state of emergency. The natural disaster is also confirmed by NASA images, which clearly show that one of the country's major reservoirs has finally dried up as if it had never existed.

Water taps in the Mexican city of Monterrey have dried up. Due to unprecedented heat and climate change, more than half of Mexico is suffering from drought. In some places, the situation is very serious.
In June, Monterrey began limiting the water supply to six hours a day. This forced schools to adjust class schedules. Also, all bottled water disappeared from supermarket shelves.
Now people began to take to the streets to protest. People are demanding that the production of carbonated drinks and beer be stopped for a while. These businesses, despite the shortage, continue to operate.
State authorities say they are saving water by fixing leaks and thefts.
The coming months are expected to be even hotter, so the water crisis will only get worse. The two main reservoirs that supply the region with water, Cerro Prieto and La Boca, could be empty as early as the next few days. Another reservoir, El Cuchillo, is only 45% full.

The head of Monterrey's water and drainage service, Juan Ignacio Barragan Villarreal, warned that the Rodrigo Gomez "La Boca" dam has only 10 days of life-saving fluid left.
According to the official, the Nuevo Leon dam could run out of water in just 10 days, but he pointed out that the fall could advance due to over-consumption by some residents.
Barragan Villarreal explained that production has been reduced to the "maximum possible," especially in La Boca since it has fallen to 400 liters per second in recent days; therefore, he pointed out that in addition to being a daily problem of general supply, it has become a planning problem.

As Juan Ignacio Barragan Villarreal reported on March 9, the Board of Water and Drainage approved an urgent measure, among which is the sanitation tariff, which, although in the Law, was not applied in the organization, in addition to the placement of pressure reducers for high-consumption users.
The state official announced that 56% of users will not be affected by the sanitation rate changes because the measure will not apply to those who consume less than 10 cubic meters of water per month.