La Paz Mayor Milena Quiroga Romero confirmed that the Colina de la Cruz water tank is undergoing a cleaning process. To drain the tank quickly, the city mobilized both municipal utility trucks and private water haulers (pipas) to remove the stored water.
The water being hauled away is not suitable for drinking. City officials designated it strictly for dust control on unpaved roads across the municipality. Residents who depend on pipa deliveries for household use should not expect potable water from these particular loads.
Tank Refill Expected Within Days
Quiroga Romero indicated the cleaning process should wrap up within one to two days. Once complete, the tank will begin receiving a fresh, clean fill. The temporary operation explains why residents may notice unusual pipa loading patterns at the Colina de la Cruz site during this period.
The Colina de la Cruz tank sits in one of La Paz’s elevated neighborhoods and serves as a key distribution point in the city’s water infrastructure. Cleaning storage tanks periodically is a standard maintenance step to prevent sediment buildup and maintain water quality.
La Paz’s Broader Water Reuse Efforts
The decision to repurpose the drained water for road irrigation fits into a broader municipal strategy. La Paz has been expanding its use of non-potable water for public works to conserve its limited drinking supply. The city recently deployed a dedicated “purple tanker truck” for transporting treated water to irrigation and maintenance sites, according to Gersom García, the city’s Director of Municipal Public Services.
Water scarcity remains a persistent challenge in Baja California Sur. Many La Paz neighborhoods still rely partly on pipa deliveries rather than consistent piped service, making any shift in truck schedules a noticeable disruption. The city’s municipal water utility, OOMSAPAS, has faced infrastructure gaps for years as the population has grown faster than the pipe network.
For now, the message from city hall is straightforward: the tank cleaning is routine, it will be brief, and the water being trucked out is going to dirt roads, not to homes.
This story was first reported by BCS Noticias.