Families in Colonia Lagunitas, a neighborhood on the outskirts of La Paz, have started receiving piped water for the first time in roughly 30 years. Mayor Milena Quiroga announced that 102 households, home to more than 500 residents, will benefit from the first phase of the project.
Until now, residents of the colonia relied entirely on water delivery trucks, known locally as pipas, to fill storage tanks. The new connections replace that costly and unreliable system with direct service from the municipal water network.
Abandoned Infrastructure Brought Back to Life
The project required rehabilitating old, abandoned pipes and installing new water lines along with individual meters. OOMSAPAS (the Municipal Water and Sewer Authority of La Paz) oversaw the work. So far, 62 of the 102 eligible households have formally signed up for service through the utility.
Water metering is a notable detail. Less than 25% of buildings in La Paz currently have meters, according to reporting by conservation groups. That lack of metering has long been cited as a barrier to water conservation in a desert city that depends almost entirely on a single underground aquifer for its fresh water supply.
Broader Infrastructure Push Across La Paz
Quiroga pointed to parallel projects elsewhere in the city. Crews are repairing a collapsed sewer collector on Calle Rosales, a major street in the downtown area. A separate drainage rehabilitation is underway in Colonia Guadalupe Victoria.
The announcements follow a pattern of infrastructure investment under Quiroga’s administration. In September 2024, the city inaugurated the La Buena Mujer water purification plant, which serves at least 12 neighborhoods and roughly 13,000 residents. The city has also discussed plans for a new dam called El Novillo to boost the region’s water capture capacity.
Water Access Remains a Challenge
La Paz faces persistent water pressure. The city’s aquifer is over-exploited, and population growth continues to strain supply. A 40-kilometer aqueduct from El Carrizal has been planned to bring supplemental freshwater into the city, though experts have warned it is only a temporary fix.
For the families of Colonia Lagunitas, the immediate change is concrete: running water from a tap instead of waiting for a truck. The city said it expects remaining households to complete their OOMSAPAS registration in the coming weeks.
First reported by BCS Noticias.