Commission for Environmental Cooperation

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

The Submitters assert that Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws including constitutional law, the National Waters Act, the Ecological Balance Act and Environmental Protection Act to protect forests, biodiversity, and water resources from degradation and contamination in the Valle de Bravo-Amanalco watershed in the municipality of Valle de Bravo in the State of Mexico, Mexico.

In submission SEM-23-005 (Valle de Bravo-Amanalco Sub-Basin), the Submitters assert that Mexico is failing to protect natural resources, particularly water resources, in the Valle de Bravo-Amanalco sub-basin from the effects of changes in land use from forest to agriculture, livestock, and large real estate developments, alleging considerable impacts on biodiversity and soil erosion, as well as water pollution and soil contamination from untreated waste. The Submitters state that water quality in the watershed has deteriorated due to siltation and contamination of the Valle de Bravo dam because of direct discharge of sewage into the water, as well as discharges of wastewater into the rivers from aquaculture and agriculture with high levels of nitrate and phosphates, and maintain that the Valle de Bravo dam has reached 48% capacity, a historical minimum threshold.

The Submitters highlight that almost all of Valle de Bravo is a protected area that includes part of the Oyamel Fir Forest, a destination for monarch butterfly migration. The Submitters emphasize the importance of these issues, given that the Valle de Bravo watershed provides drinking water for the municipality of Valle de Bravo, neighboring communities, and 24% of the drinking water in thirteen municipalities of the Metropolitan Zone of Mexico City and fourteen municipalities of the State of Mexico through the Cutzamala System.

The Submitters state that the lack of environmental impact authorizations for changes in land use and large real estate developments, including the construction of more than 250 private dams, is a major factor in the issues in watershed today.

Names and citations of the environmental laws in question:

Environmental laws including constitutional law, the National Waters Act, the Ecological Balance Act and Environmental Protection Act

Submitter(s):

Observatorio Ciudadano de la Subcuenca de Valle de Bravo-Amanalco, Sé la Voz de la Naturaleza