Verdant View – July 2024

Water, Water Everywhere?

I recently was invited to hear Dr. Eduardo Juarez Carrillo, Director of the Institute for Limnologia y Sustentabilidad, of the University of Guadalajara, speak at a gathering hosted by the Friends of Centro Pro-Mexico in San Juan Cosala. The title of the presentation was “Water Crisis of Lake Chapala.”

Dr. Juarez Carillo highlighted recent studies completed by his Institute and shared the findings with us.

Problem:

How many of you have had water interruptions or shortages that you never experienced before? We have water problems reported in Chula Vista Norte, Chapala, San Pedro Itzican, just to name a few areas.

Fresh Water on Earth – 3% of the Earth’s water is fresh. 2.5% of the Earth’s fresh water is unavailable: locked up in glaciers, polar ice caps, atmosphere, and soil; highly polluted; or lies too far under the Earth’s surface to be extracted at an affordable cost. 0.5% of the Earth’s water is available as fresh water.

Fresh Water Use: 70% is used in Agriculture, 20% is used by Industry, and 10% is used by humans.

Lake Chapala is a tectonic lake, at 38% capacity. We have been in drought for the last five years (due to El Niño.) Lake temps (in the last five years) are up 3%. This is devastating to our environment. Lake Chapala contains 20% of all fresh water in Mexico.

Lake Cuitzeo has lost 70% of its water in the last five years. All but six of the original 19 species of fish have been lost due to drought.

Our cenotes in Yucatan are also drying up.

Deforestation of our areas also contributes to climate warming and less water availability for humans and other species.

We get our potable water from fresh water deep wells (not the lake.) These wells access our water aquifers. The aquifers are replenished when rain, storm water and the flow from rivers, streams and creeks seeps into an aquifer. Water also gets into the ground as farmers irrigate fields and orchards. The primary problem is that with continued growth in our area, we are tapping our aquifers before they can be completely replenished, making access harder (leading to deeper well digging). If we continue along this use path, we will not have water to access.

Along the Lerma River delta (that originates in the State of Mexico, and feeds Lake Chapala,) that goes through five states of Mexico before arriving at Lake Chapala, the rivers have over 500 illegal dams that have been constructed primarily to siphon off water for agricultural use. Add to this water concessions that have been sold by the government to industries for their use and the irresponsible use of industries dumping into the river, and we end up with little of the total river water in our lake.

The water entering Lake Chapala from the Lerma River is highly polluted with heavy metals and other toxic substances as a result of insufficient wastewater treatment by the many industries operating near the Lerma River.

Solutions:

Educate ourselves as to how water arrives to our homes and be conscious of how we use it (conserve it).

Speak to people about the problems and possible solutions. We can speak to our Mexican neighbors and ask if they can work toward educating our government representatives to help change our infrastructure.

Take shorter showers.

Water your plants in the early morning (preferable) or late afternoon. This reduces evaporation.

Change water thirsty plants and lawns for drought tolerant options. We need to change our perceptive on what is “beautiful.”

Don’t wash your automobile or vehicle with water hoses. Do as the locals do and use a bucket and rag. Or have one of the many people who offer to wash your automobile wash your vehicle. It provides jobs and works to keep our economy local.

Turn off faucets when not in use.

Make sure leaks and drips are repaired. Continual leaking and dripping can also cause damage to your home.

Install grey water systems for reuse of water.

Install rainwater catchment systems in your home.

As we learn more about Earth’s amazing natural systems, it becomes clear that they are all interconnected, and we are part of those systems. Taking care of our Earth is logical. As we chart our way through these global changes it becomes clear that the changes will affect us all.

What to plant in July

Hopefully the climate is wet and rainy, in fact too wet for some things to be really happy. Daylilies are still blooming, as are Tigridias. Let your Geraniums dry out between waterings, if possible, and herbs, too. At the viveros, you will find Dahlias, Gazanias, larkspur, Lobelia and Monarda. You may have to protect some things from too much water, particularly new seedlings in flower and vegetable gardens. And it’s still quite hot. Keep up with the garden pests and beware of diseases like powdery mildew. Some flower seeds to think about planting are Asters, balloon flower, coneflower, Lobelia and Freesia. You can still plant Swiss chard, peppers, eggplant, leeks and okra. Container gardening gives you an opportunity to add more interest to your patios and terraces and also to move things out of heavy rains and hot sun. With the heavy rains, fertilizers leach out of the soil very quickly. Compost helps.

What to do in the garden in July

Summer’s heat is upon us, and we’re harvesting crops. Fall’s cool weather is just around the corner, and we should begin planning the cool weather garden.

Do your transplanting in the late afternoon or evening so plants have the whole night to begin to recover before they’re hit with a full day of sun and heat. Water the transplants in well and provide shade from the intense midday sun. Water enough to keep soil around transplants moist for at least a month until they’re well established. Mulch transplants to lessen evaporation so your irrigation water lasts longer.

Harvest beans, cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes at least every other day to encourage further production. If too many fruits are allowed to remain on the plant, the hormones will change so there will be fewer new blossoms to set new fruit.

Pinch back herbs to encourage branching and use the clippings either fresh or dry. Their flavor is at its peak just before they flower. Harvest them early in the morning before the day becomes warm and the fragrant oils dissipate.

To encourage beneficial insects to populate your garden, provide them with their chosen foods and habitats. Many weeds are food sources for two of the most important orders of beneficial insects, wasps and flies. Mustard flowers attract lacewings (for aphids) and parasitic wasps. These do not bother people or pets. Planting rows of these plants in your garden can support a large beneficial insect population.