Los Cabos Mayor Christian Agúndez returned from Mexico City this week after meetings with federal agencies focused on the municipality’s worsening water crisis. The most immediate result: eight new tanker trucks added to the municipal fleet for free water deliveries to shortage-hit neighborhoods, mainly in Cabo San Lucas.
Agúndez met with officials from Banobras (Mexico’s national public works bank) and CONAGUA (the National Water Commission) to discuss financing and technical requirements for two major infrastructure projects. The centerpiece is Desalination Plant II, which would expand the municipality’s drinking water capacity. The second project is La Sonoreña II, a wastewater treatment facility.
Federal Financing Still Needed for Major Projects
Officials reviewed financing strategies, water concession regularization, and ways to get more output from existing wells. No timeline or budget was announced for Desalination Plant II, and both federal financing and CONAGUA approvals still need to come through before construction can begin.
The municipality’s existing desalination plant, built with an investment of roughly 986 million pesos (about $49 million USD at the time), was designed to pump 650 liters per second and serve around 140,000 residents. That plant, operated by GS Inima, draws seawater through beach wells and was built with potential for expansion to double its capacity.
Population Growth Outpacing Water Supply
Los Cabos has grown from 238,487 residents in 2010 to an estimated 351,000 today, a nearly 47% increase. That rapid growth has outpaced the water system’s ability to keep up. At least 13 neighborhoods lack piped water networks entirely and rely on tanker truck deliveries.
The eight new trucks represent a stopgap measure while larger projects work through bureaucratic and financial channels. Free water delivery by municipal trucks has been a fixture in parts of Cabo San Lucas for years, and expanding the fleet should reduce wait times for residents in underserved colonias.
Agúndez expressed confidence in the outcome of the meetings, saying the water situation “is going to improve very positively” for families in Los Cabos. He said efforts with federal agencies will continue to advance projects involving land-use planning, housing, and sanitary infrastructure.
This story was first reported by the Gringo Gazette on April 27.