Public Works crews in Cabo San Lucas have begun clearing the Salto Seco arroyo of accumulated waste and debris ahead of the 2025 hurricane season. The municipal government deployed six temporary workers, a backhoe, and a dump truck to the dry riverbed, which runs between the libramiento (bypass road) bridge and the La Sanluqueña bridge in central Cabo.
Crews expect to remove between 25 and 30 tons of garbage, construction debris, and organic waste from the arroyo channel. The municipal president of Los Cabos ordered the cleanup as a preventive measure to reduce flood risk and protect nearby coastal waters.
Protecting Ocho Cascadas Beach
The Salto Seco arroyo drains directly toward Ocho Cascadas beach on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas. When heavy rains hit, water rushing through the channel carries anything in its path straight into the ocean. Officials said the buildup of trash in the arroyo posed a direct threat to marine life and coastal ecosystems near the beach.
Private-sector heavy equipment operators and transport companies have also contributed to the effort. Dump trucks provided by local businesses are hauling collected waste away from the site. A separate cleanup day in late March, organized as part of the “Clean Up Day 2025” initiative near the colonia Real Unidad area, targeted the same arroyo system.
Residents Urged to Stop Illegal Dumping
City officials used the cleanup to issue a public warning: residents must stop dumping household trash, tires, and construction materials into Cabo’s arroyos. Illegal dumping is a persistent problem across Los Cabos. The dry riverbeds appear inactive for most of the year but become powerful flash-flood channels during the June-to-November hurricane season.
Cabo San Lucas residents living near arroyo channels are particularly vulnerable when debris clogs the waterways. Blocked arroyos cause water to overflow into surrounding neighborhoods, damaging homes and businesses. The Salto Seco arroyo is one of the most flood-prone channels in town, having accumulated significant water during past storms.
The Eastern Pacific hurricane season officially begins June 1. Los Cabos sits in the path of tropical storms that form off Mexico’s western coast, and the region has experienced damaging hurricanes in recent years. Clearing arroyos before the first rains is a standard, if often belated, municipal priority.
This story was first reported by the Los Cabos municipal government at loscabos.gob.mx.