OOMSAPAS La Paz (the municipal water and sewer utility) announced a series of water infrastructure projects in Todos Santos and El Pescadero after director general Abimael Ibarra Abúndez led an inspection tour of both communities on March 23. The projects aim to expand water service coverage and upgrade wastewater treatment in two of the fastest-growing towns on Baja California Sur’s Pacific coast.
Water Trucks and New Pipeline for Todos Santos
In Todos Santos, about 50 miles north of Cabo San Lucas on Highway 19, the utility will deploy water trucks (pipas) to the El Aguacatón and La Ahorcadita neighborhoods. Families in those areas currently have no connection to the municipal water network. Ibarra Abúndez also presented plans for a new pipeline extension to Colonia Nuevo San Juan, which would bring piped water to households that have gone without it.
Water scarcity is a longstanding problem in the Todos Santos area. A community survey by the advocacy group Protect Todos Santos found that roughly 60% of residents receive water from OOMSAPAS, while 25%, concentrated in the Cerritos beach area, rely entirely on trucked-in deliveries. The remaining 15%, mostly in El Pescadero, get water through the local ejido system.
New Well and Wastewater Upgrade in El Pescadero
In El Pescadero, located about 10 miles south of Todos Santos along Highway 19, crews are drilling a new well to increase supply capacity. The utility also announced an upgrade to El Pescadero’s wastewater treatment plant, which has experienced overflow flooding. The plant improvement is designed to prevent future sewage spills and strengthen sanitation in the community.
Both towns have seen rapid residential and tourism growth in recent years, but infrastructure investment has not kept pace. Advocacy groups have noted that the La Paz municipality, which administers services for Todos Santos and El Pescadero, has added little new water or wastewater capacity in decades despite rising demand.
The projects fall under OOMSAPAS La Paz’s broader development plan called “Más Agua para La Paz” (More Water for La Paz), initiated by Mayor Milena Quiroga. The utility did not provide specific budgets or completion timelines for any of the announced projects, according to the La Paz municipal government news portal.