Monterrey reactivates Pánuco River aqueduct project

The government of Nuevo León has reactivated the project to transport water from the Pánuco River to the Monterrey metropolitan area. Monterrey's Water and Drainage Services has submitted an Environmental Impact Statement to the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) for the “Pánuco-Cerro Aqueduct” project.

The proposed infrastructure would span approximately 390 kilometers, divided into six sections. In its initial stage, the aqueduct is designed to transport 5,000 liters of water per second. The route is planned to begin at the Pánuco River near Ébano, San Luis Potosí, passing through Veracruz and Tamaulipas before connecting to the Cerro Prieto-Monterrey pumping station to supply Nuevo León.

The project includes electrical transmission lines, service roads, fiber optics, and control systems. It will require a land-use change for approximately 250.4 hectares of forest land, a factor that Semarnat must evaluate before granting construction authorization.