Water Supply Projects for Guadalajara Receive Federal Support
The water supply for the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area received a new boost after Pablo Lemus Navarro, governor of Jalisco, announced that President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed the Federal Government’s support for three priority projects.
These include the Chapala-Guadalajara Replacement Aqueduct, the modernization of Water Treatment Plant 1, and complementary works at the El Zapotillo Dam.
The projects represent investments of approximately 22.5 billion pesos, although they will use different financing schemes and funding sources.
The Government of Jalisco plans to allocate 7.5 billion pesos to the water treatment plant, while the Federal Government would invest approximately 5 billion pesos in El Zapotillo. The new aqueduct would require approximately 10 billion pesos under a public-private partnership scheme.
The agreement was discussed during a private meeting between the two leaders at the Air College in Zapopan, taking advantage of the president’s working tour of Jalisco.
Aqueduct Project Moves Forward
The next step will take place this Friday, August 28, when the Government of Jalisco presents the projects for the Chapala-Guadalajara Replacement Aqueduct and the modernization of Water Treatment Plant 1, located in Miravalle, to the National Water Commission (Conagua).
That same day, the proposed financial scheme for the aqueduct, known as CMRO —Construction, Maintenance, Rehabilitation and Operation—, is expected to be reviewed with the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit.
Lemus stated that this model will preserve state control over the management, supply, and treatment of water.
“It will not be privatized, it will not be a debt scheme, and it will not increase water prices in the Metropolitan Area or anywhere else in Jalisco.”
— Pablo Lemus, Governor of Jalisco
If it receives federal approval, the proposal will have to be submitted to the Congress of Jalisco for review and possible approval. A public bidding process would then begin, and construction could take between two and a half and three years.
Benefits for Guadalajara
The new aqueduct seeks to replace part of the system that transports water from Chapala to Guadalajara and which, according to the state government, currently has 34% water losses due to leaks.
The replacement would also allow estimated savings of 500 million pesos in electricity, due to more efficient pumping operations.
At the same time, Jalisco will allocate 7.5 billion pesos to modernize Water Treatment Plant 1 through a multi-year scheme that, according to Lemus, should be completed before the end of the current state administration.
The Federal Government, for its part, would carry out electrical engineering works and construct a new aqueduct at the El Zapotillo Dam, with an investment of approximately 5 billion pesos, allowing the system to operate at its maximum capacity.
The first stage of work at PP1, La Calera, and the second phase of the water conveyance system could be completed by March 2027, according to the projection presented by the Government of Jalisco.
Chapala Highway
The meeting between Lemus and Sheinbaum also included other infrastructure projects for Jalisco.
The governor said he discussed with the president the start of the expansion of the Chapala Highway, which will require an investment of 4.5 billion pesos, of which 1.5 billion pesos would come from the Federal Government.
The project will cover approximately five kilometers from Guadalajara International Airport toward El Salto.
It is also planned that Public Transportation Line 5 will extend its service to El Salto, on the border with Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos.
Among the projects discussed during the meeting is also the state’s first Semiconductor Design Center, where Kutsari, an initiative promoted by the Government of Mexico, will be installed.
Source: publimetro
