Tamaulipas strengthens water protection and promotes aquatic tourism

Mexico’s national water agency, Conagua, announced that illegal water extraction – known locally as “huachicol de agua” – can carry sentences of up to eight years in prison and fines exceeding 2.9 million pesos. The agency intensified inspections across the Guayalejo river basin in Tamaulipas, noting that while the practice is not yet widespread, drought periods raise the risk of unlicensed pumping and the use of oversized pumps.

Governor Américo Villarreal emphasized water as the most valuable heritage for future generations. He urged citizen participation and highlighted projects to treat and reuse wastewater, including the International Wastewater Treatment Plant (PITAR) in Nuevo Laredo, which now treats about 1,650 L/s—up from 20 % to roughly 80 % of the city’s effluent. Backed by President Claudia Sheinbaum and international partners, the plant redirects treated water for industrial use and releases clean water into the Rio Bravo. The governor also promoted Tamaulipas’s aquatic tourism, citing 22 municipalities offering beaches, rivers, lagoons and cenotes, and noting new infrastructure such as the Mante‑Ocampo‑Tula highway and safety measures for visitors.