Feasibility study and pilot design for Maneadero Valley, Mexico

“Maneadero Valley is a 35 km² coastal alluvial plain in Baja California, Mexico, producing high value crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers for local and export markets. Food production is under pressure because of a shortage of freshwater for irrigation. Over pumping of the aquifer has induced a strong intrusion of saltwater from the coast into the central valley. Due to the increasing salinization of the groundwater, already 1000 hectares of agricultural land have been taken out of production.
Farmers and (water) authorities are urgently looking for solutions to sustain freshwater supply, food production and thus the economy of the valley. In 2009, the Baja California State Government built a 20 km pipeline to distribute municipal reuse water from the city of Ensenada to the south of Maneadero Valley. Farmers, however, are hesitant to using this water, as they are concerned about the microbiological risks when irrigating (food) crops with reuse water. Also, the current (aboveground) storage capacity for this water is limited. Despite its substantial availability, reuse water in the valley is only used to irrigate 100 ha in an ongoing field pilot.”

(Citaat: Range, V., de la Loma, B., Ros, S. Quality assurance: Raat, K.J., Hinsby, K. – Feasibility study and pilot design for Maneadero Valley, Mexico – SubSol – D2.7 (2017))