MAYA AQUIFER ALLIANCE

Pollution sources in the Peninsula have diverse origins: residual water from urban zones, fertilizers and insecticides from agricultural, cattle, chicken and pig farms, and cenote tourism. It is critical to critical reverse water pollution to maintain the health of nature and society.

To contribute to the maintenance and restoration of the aquifer´s health Claudia y Roberto Hernández Foundation collaborates in the Maya Aquifer Alliance. This recent initiative gathers a set of foundations (Fundación Gonzalo Río Arronte, National Geographic, The Harte Charitable Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Ocean Foundation, The Summit Foundation and Fundación Claudia y Roberto Hernández) that are concerned about the water issues in the Peninsula.

The objective of this Alliance is to generate scientific knowledge on the aquifer´s dynamics to implement solutions, along with monitoring to take the pulse of water quality. In turn, the Alliance promotes community participation and capacity building in monitoring activities and communication on the state of the aquifer, problems and solutions.

At present, with the collaboration of several institutions, we have a number of projects working to monitor water quality in Yucatan and Quintana Roo.

PROJECT TS´ONOT

The objective of Project Ts´onot is to develop a community monitoring network of water quality in Yucatan´s cenotes to restore the aquifer health.

• Community monitoring network. To promote the participation of society through capacity building of community monitors.
• Water quality assessments. To conduct lab analysis of water quality to complement community monitoring.
• Open data platform development. To develop an information portal to share knowledge on the state of water quality in five municipalities to improve water management.
• Social communication. To develop a communication strategy to promote water quality issues and encourage community participation.

The project is conducted by KALANBIO, A.C. with support from Claudia and Roberto Foundation, Rio Arronte Foundation and Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, and with collaboration with TAE Foundation, Catherwood Travels, Private Haciendas, Cenoteando, Química, UMDI SISAL and Biodiversidad en Cenotes.

PROJECT ZAZIL-JA

The objectives of the Project Zazil-Ja are:

• To improve our understanding of the Yucatan Peninsula Aquifer through - diagnosis and baseline construction of the present state of the aquifer with relevant stakeholders;
• To expand monitoring (in collaboration with Project Ts´onot), seeking a long lasting monitoring capacity in collaboration with the National Water Commission, using locally-developed water levels, temperature and salinity sensors, and determining concentrations of natural constituents of groundwater (ions) and various pollutants (bacteria, nutrients, metals, organic persistent and emerging pollutants and tracers) in the critically-stressed northwest region; and
• to produce regional numerical flow simulations with present and future scenarios of recharge, extraction and sea level.
• Social communication. To develop a communication strategy to promote water quality issues and encourage community participation.

The project is conducted by Engineering Institute, UNAM-Sisal, Yucatan with support from National Geographic Society and collaboration with Project Tso´not.