Remediation actions for the rescue of the Mexican Tecamachalco Valley aquifer
Remediation actions for the rescue of the Mexican Tecamachalco Valley aquifer
Presented on Tuesday, December 3, 2019
According to data from the National Water Commission, there are 653 aquifers in Mexico, of which 115 are overexploited. The present study will focus on the only overexploited aquifer in the state of Puebla, the Tecamachalco Valley aquifer. In the year 2018, it was classified as the number 41 most exploited aquifer in the country with a deficit of 63.36 million cubic meters. This is due to the increase of agriculture in the area, in which different crops are harvested, such as corn, beans, chili, among others, which were previously irrigated with surface water from the Valsequillo dam located in the area. The increment in water demand caused by the population increase and the irrigation zones, in addition to the contamination of the reservoir, caused that this water source was no longer sufficient and the extraction of groundwater in the area began. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate different proposals to increase the availability of groundwater in this area through artificial infiltration that help increase water levels in the aquifer, because it is expected that by 2030 there would be a critical condition of this water supply source. After analyzing various alternatives for artificial recharge in the aquifer, it was concluded that the technique of infiltration lagoons is the most appropriate, due to its lower cost compared to other techniques, aided by the geology of the area that facilitates the infiltration for aquifer recharge.
Carlos Patino-Gomez, Dr
Civil and environmental engineering, Universidad de las Americas Puebla
Dr. Carlos Patiño-Gómez received the PhD and Post-PhD from the Environmental and Civil Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin. He was the deputy coordinator of integrated water management department and coordinator of climate change group in the Mexican Institute of Water Technology. He has participated as leader of research projects related with water planning and management in transboundary river basins between Mexico and the United States of America, and leader of research projects related with water planning and management in the Mexican hydrological river basins. Actually, Dr. Patiño is the Mexican National Contact Point in Environmental and Climate Change appointed by the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico, and belongs to the National Researchers System in Mexico. Also, he is full professor at the Universidad de la Americas Puebla, working on water management, biodiversity and climate change projects.
Rene Constantino-Ortiz, Student
Environmental and Civil Engineering, Universidad de las Americas Puebla, San Andrés Cholula, PU, Mexico
An undergraduate student in the Civil Engineering Department of the Universidad de las Americas Puebla. At this moment, I am part of the honors program at the University, where the best students are part of this program achieving research activities with an advisor. I have participated in some challenges during my studies.