A counterproposal for the future of the stalled Zapotillo Dam on the Verde River in the Los Altos region of Jalisco will not solve Guadalajara’s chronic water supply issues, Governor Enrique Alfaro stated after joining President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to meet with representatives of communities affected by the project last weekend.
López Obrador said the federal government will review the counterproposal submitted by the affected communities that endorses the National Water Commission’s recommendation to maintain the height of the dam at 80 meters, but would keep the water level in the reservoir at or below 42 meters, thus guaranteeing that the town of Temacapulín and two smaller communities remain forever free from flooding.
Keen to end a 16-year saga beset by numerous legal interventions and protests, López Obrador promised to return to Temaca in a month and sign the agreement, as long as the technical and legal elements of the counterproposal are agreed by the National Water Commission (CNA).
The CNA previously agreed that most of the water from the Zapotillo dam will be pumped to Guadalajara, excluding the city of Leon as per the original plan.
However, the counterproposal limiting the amount of water the reservoir can hold will mean the metropolitan area will be unable to receive the 3,500 liters of liquid per second it needs, Alfaro said after the meeting.
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