Published August 31, 2022

By Alvaro Gutierrez Berra

At Caminos de Agua we have been testing community wells, and other water sources, all across our watershed, as well as in other parts of Mexico, since 2011. Water monitoring is our oldest program and was developed out of a community need to understand the regional water problems that persist to this day, while helping us understand the changing water conditions from both rural and urban wells alike.

In some areas within San Miguel de Allende, contaminant levels are close to three times higher than the World Health Organization limit. Given this growing concern about the contaminants, we began offering private water quality testing to people several years ago. This private testing service provides concrete information on the water that flows out of your tap, while also funding crucial water testing and other services, to those who otherwise could not afford it.

Casa Hogar Santa Julia Don Bosco, an important charitable organization and Social Assistance Center for girls without parental care, works with young girls by providing them with shelter, nutrition, and educational opportunities. They recently got access to safe and clean drinking water thanks to the Camino de Agua community. Casa Hogar Colonia Santa Julia, which is a mere 10 minute walk from San Miguel’s centro, is inhabited by a mix of residents from very different socioeconomic backgrounds. One of their donors came forward to help replace an antiquated and ineffective filtration system which was unable to remove the excessive levels of arsenic and fluoride in their water. That donor suggested a new solution: two reverse osmosis filtration systems. Although Casa Hogar secured the funds for the reverse osmosis filters, Caminos assured they were properly installed, provided educational programs for the staff, and will now provide follow-up to guarantee that the systems are maintained over time. Today the children, the sisters and the staff at the center have sufficient, safe drinking water.

This effort was made possible through our Water Monitoring Program, largely funded by people like you who pay us to test their water quality, which in turn provides the funding needed to help support organizations like Casa Hogar Santa Julia Don Bosco. Get Your Water Tested Today!

If you would like to learn more about our water testing program, which includes both an arsenic/fluoride analysis as well as a reverse osmosis system analysis (which checks the efficiency of your filter system), please contact our Water Monitoring Coordinator, Álvaro Gutiérrez, directly to have your questions answered at: alvaro@caminosdeagua.org.

Caminos de Agua is a community focused, data-driven, and science-oriented non-governmental organization (NGO) based in San Miguel de Allende. We drive to empower local at-risk communities to obtain adequate supplies of safe and healthy drinking water. Today, Caminos de Agua is a team of ten full- and part-time employees, plus several graduate-level engineering and public interest interns from Engineers Without Borders UK and other universities and institutions. We’re a mix of expat residents and Mexicans, technologists and community organizers, researchers and educators, united by our concern for public health and welfare. Caminos de Agua is organized as a registered nonprofit in both the U.S. and Mexico. At Caminos de Agua, we believe that access to safe, healthy drinking water should be a fundamental human right. We help communities at risk confront challenges of water quality and scarcity through:

1. Water monitoring 2. Education 3. Community-led solutions 4. Research and development 5. Activism