L a Paz, BCS., July 25.- The aquifer in this city is overexploited by 7.8 million cubic meters per year, according to data from the National Water Commission (Conagua), but this figure could be double because measurement parameters are lacking, said Arturo Cruz Falcón, a researcher at the Center for Biological Research of the Northwest (Cibnor).
In an interview, he noted that this deficit has caused seawater to advance toward the aquifer, contaminating most agricultural wells located near the coastal area, which contain between one and six grams of total dissolved solids per liter of water.
He specified that the 36 freshwater wells that supply La Paz currently have measurements below one gram of total dissolved solids, but if the sea wedge continues to penetrate, they will soon begin to mix with drinking water, reducing the quality of the resource for consumption.
He mentioned that the Baja California Sur capital's aquifer is fed by rainwater from the El Novillo, Las Cruces, and Cacachilas mountain ranges, but in recent years it has been overexploited due to urban growth and poor management.
