During the 20th century, the concept of bordos, or rainwater retention ponds, which long supplied communities in our region with water for millennia, were largely abandoned with the advent of deep-well drilling technology. Back in the 1950s, we started drilling wells and pumping water up from the deep aquifers beneath our feet. Unfortunately, we never stopped, or limited extraction. So, for decades, the water table has been dropping, now up to a dangerous rate of 3 meters a year, and has  become contaminated with dangerous levels of arsenic and fluoride. 

La Jarrilla is just one of hundreds of rural villages in San Luis de la Paz, a neighboring  municipality to San Miguel de Allende. Many of these villages receive water only once or twice a week, and the water they do get is often highly contaminated.

Is it safe to shower with arsenic and fluoride in my water? Can I eat vegetables irrigated with high levels of arsenic?

These are questions we receive often at Caminos de Agua. So, before understanding your water quality, it’s important to first understand the risks of arsenic and fluoride in the water. You’ll notice that this entire section is focused on water for drinking and cooking, or what we frequently call water for “human consumption.” Read on to learn more.

Today, we’re excited to introduce to you the strategies we’re implementing over the next three years to make a much deeper impact on our water crisis, as well as the community of partnerships we’re building to bring this USD $2.3 million initiative to fruition.

A Growing Environmental and Health Crisis, Requiring a Diversified and Scaled Response.

Last week, we reviewed with you our accomplishments in 2023 (see our email from last week in case you missed it!). This week we're excited to share our major goals and actions planned for 2024 as we continue on our commitment to mitigate the growing water crisis in our region. Your support has also been crucial, and we're excited to have you by our side as we strive to reach further and make an even greater impact in 2024. Let’s take a look to see where we plan to focus our energy. 

At Caminos de Agua we are not able to do any of this work alone. All of these incredible accomplishments are only made possible by a true community of support, with each collaborator playing a critical role.

Since late 2020, Caminos de Agua (Caminos) has embarked on what stands as our most ambitious project over our 12 years of existence. Together with our core community and organizational partners – including INANA, A.C., CUVAPAS, SECOPA, and the San Cayetano Community Center – we've persistently expanded access to clean water through rainwater harvesting, sanitation, and water filtration solutions for those most affected by our region's water crisis. Over the course of three years in our collaborative project, "Agua y Salud" (Water & Health), we have collectively worked across a total of 76 communities – constructing an astounding 780 large-scale Rainwater Harvesting Systems, which can produce more than 290 million liters of clean water storage over their lifetime.

Despite a growing body of research globally, there has been a scarcity of public health studies on the impacts of these water contaminants in our region. In 2018, Caminos de Agua partnered with the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico (“INSP” for its acronym in Spanish) to look at the impacts of fluoride on our children. Utilizing Caminos de Agua water quality data to identify exposed communities, the researchers found that 82% of children in the study presented with dental fluorosis – the permanent staining, and even deterioration, of children’s teeth.

At the heart of our impact is our educational programming – a robust foundation that goes well beyond workshops and lectures. Our dedicated team of community organizers and educators tirelessly spearheads initiatives that not only seek to impart information on our shared water crisis, as well as technical expertise to build solutions, but also foster a profound sense of community engagement and solidarity.  Read more here.