Tourism real estate developers in Los Cabos are proposing to generate their own drinking water through desalination plants and send the surplus into the municipal network, a move they say could help close the gap between water supply and demand in the municipality.
Alberto Villada Camerino, president of the Asociación de Promotores y Desarrolladores Turísticos Inmobiliarios de Los Cabos (the local association representing tourism real estate developers), presented the idea during an October 14 meeting of the Grupo Madrugadores de Los Cabos, a regular gathering of local business leaders. He said developers have already raised the proposal with representatives of the Comisión Nacional del Agua, or Conagua — Mexico’s federal water authority, responsible for managing and regulating the country’s national water resources — but no formal agreement has been reached.
How the Proposal Would Work
Under the plan, developments that already have desalination plants would run them at capacity, first covering their own needs and then feeding any extra water into the municipal distribution lines for public use. “What we’re proposing is that we, as developers, generate our own drinking water through desalination plants, that whoever has them puts them into operation, and that this output can supply the needs of each development,” Villada Camerino said.
Why Los Cabos Faces a Water Deficit
Villada Camerino estimated that wells currently supply around 1,100 liters per second to Los Cabos, while the shortfall runs close to 450 liters per second. He noted that even once Cabo San Lucas completes its second desalination plant, with a projected capacity of 250 liters per second, a gap between supply and demand would remain.
He pointed to the lack of infrastructure — acueductos, pipelines, pumping stations and the equipment needed to move water to populated areas — as the real bottleneck limiting service in both Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. Population growth and ongoing home construction, he said, continue to push demand higher in both cities. The association president added that once the second Cabo San Lucas desalination plant is finished, part of the water currently used there could be redirected to San José del Cabo.
Unequal Access Across Neighborhoods
Villada Camerino also flagged uneven distribution as a quality-of-life issue, saying some neighborhoods in Cabo San Lucas go as long as four weeks without municipal water service. While he said reducing dependence on water delivery trucks, known locally as pipas, is a worthwhile goal, he acknowledged they will remain necessary until infrastructure improves enough to reach every home directly.
Water access has become a recurring flashpoint across Baja California Sur, from the dispute over the Agua Caliente supply in El Sargento to planning debates tied to rapid development. The association’s proposal lands amid broader concern about how fast the region is growing, an issue also raised in recent efforts to update Los Cabos’ urban risk atlas to keep pace with new construction.
What Happens Next
For now, the proposal remains a talking point rather than a done deal. Villada Camerino said the municipality needs to expand its water sources and strengthen distribution networks to keep up with population growth, and he called for continued collaboration between public agencies and private developers. Whether Conagua formally takes up the offer — and under what terms private desalination output would be allowed into the public network — is still an open question.
Readers who rely on pipa deliveries or have noticed inconsistent water pressure in their colonia can expect the shortage to remain part of the local conversation for some time, as ongoing infrastructure projects like the paving work underway in El Tezal reflect the broader strain that growth is putting on Los Cabos services.
Source Note: This story is based on original reporting by El Sudcaliforniano. It has been independently rewritten and adapted by the Gringo Gazette for our English-speaking readers, with additional context where appropriate.
