Background Ignacio Allende Reservoir
The Ignacio Allende Reservoir is located in the central region of Mexico, on an alluvial plain at the state of Guanajuato, 40 km north of Celaya City and 5 km southwest of San Miguel de Allende City. It is one of the most important water reservoirs in the region, its water is of classified as “high quality” by federal government and is used for irrigation (60 %), domestic consumption, fisheries, aquaculture and recreation.
The construction of the dam was done over 50 years ago, so it shows a naturalization condition which makes it important for local and migratory waterfowl. Native species of fish include catfish, juil, sardinita and charal, which are endemic to this area of the country.
The watershed presents conditions of degradation in several areas, caused by decades of deforestation (especially to increase agricultural cover), overgrazing and gravel extraction alongside stream creeks, which has caused extreme erosion, soil compaction and loss of perennial springs, conditions that in turn increase run-off to the reservoir, which for this reason had to have sediment cleaning on several occasions. Another problem is the lack of treatment of municipal sewage that is often discharged into the rivers.
The Institute Corazón de la Tierra has being promoting application of the watershed approach with local stakeholders, in order to address the causes of problems, organizing discussion forums and workshops. There has been also training on several techniques and methodologies, and fostering of exchange experiences and networking with other lake management groups in Mexico. The institute also diagnosed the environmental governance of the Ignacio Allende basin and developed an improvement plan, based on the strengthening of stakeholders, generation of information, creation of local financing funds, use of low cost eco-technologies for rainwater collection and sewage treatment in rural areas, among other aspects.