Mexican states at odds over dam construction

The fate of El Zapotillo dam in the Mexican state of Jalisco is pending an agreement between the local government and its counterpart in Guanajuato state.

Said agreement, to resume construction works, is not moving forward because the governor of Jalisco, Aristóteles Sandoval, is refusing to cooperate unless he is sure that water supply from the dam will be prioritized for Jalisco residents over Guanajuato, local press reported.

Sandoval said he will sign the agreement once there is enough clarity on the funds available for the project, as well as how the dam's water will be distributed.

In June, Sandoval accepted the results of a study, which said the dam's wall has to be 105m high to be technically feasible. Works began in late 2009 but they have been halted in the past few years due to a court order seeking to prevent the flooding of nearby communities. The dam wall is currently 80m high.

The reservoir will supply water to state capital Guadalajara, the Los Altos region and León, a city in Guanajuato, through a pipeline that is being developed under a separate contract and which fate is also uncertain.

The dam will be located 100km from Guadalajara and was initially expected to have storage capacity of 411Mm3, and supply 9m3/s of water for 25 years.

Guanajuato was expected to receive 30% of the dam's water, however, based on the new agreement that both governments are attempting to ink, the proposed amount would be reduced, local news outlet Meganoticias reported.

Federal authorities have confirmed the financial feasibility of completing the initiative, with funds earmarked next year in the federal budget.