Water systems in Mexico are far different than north of the border – have you noticed that there aren’t standpipes or water towers or reservoirs at Lake Chapala? That’s because each household is expected to be responsible for storing the water they need.
How It Works
North of the border, when you turn on any tap in your house, water surges out the faucet, under pressure, and usually safe to drink. Not so in most Lakeside homes.
The water for most neighborhoods and developments is supervised by the government water agency, Simapa. The local water supply is pumped from a number of deep government-regulated wells, before it passes through underground pipes through the villages and neighborhoods to your house.
Upper and lower Chula Vista’s homeowners association installed and operates a US-style water system, complete with chlorinator. Everywhere else, water comes into the properties for a period of time each day. That period can vary from a few hours to almost all day and night; during times of drought,water shortages, or damaged pumps, water may only be released every two or three days.
Your Water Storage
If you have an aljibe (underground storage tank) that’s where the water goes as it arrives at your house. This underground room is often under the driveway or garage floor. The sturdy reinforced brick boveda ceiling makes the tank strong enough to be driven on. When you lift the metal hatch door you’ll see the water level, the upper portion of the waterproofed walls, and the ball float that works just like the one in your toilet tank, turning off the water supply when the tank if full.
Water Pressure
Not long ago, all homes had a tinaco (grey concrete or black plastic water storage tank) on the roof. The water passing through the streets is under enough pressure to force it up to fill the tinaco which also features a ball float to shut the water off.
To fill the tinaco more quickly or to fill the tinaco quickly from the aljibe, homeowners add a 1/2 hp pump to push water to the roof.
As you turn on the tap, water flows from the tinaco, via gravity flow, to your kitchen sink or shower. If the tinaco is high enough on the roof and if the pipes from that tank are clean, and large enough, it is a good system which combines a small supplementary storage system with decent water pressure.
Many new developments and newer homes have "tinaco-less" rooflines. These homes have aljibes and hydraulic water pressure systems. The pressure system provides about the same pressure as the water company provides for you back home.
Smart homeowners have resisted the urge to eliminate the tinaco. Instead, their pressure system moves water from the aljibe to the rooftop tinaco and then into the house. These wily homeowners know that when the electricity is off for a few hours or even a day, their tinaco is all that stands between them and a shower-less morning and an unflushed toilet. It’s simple…without electricity to power the hydraulic water pressure system, there’s no water.
Water Purification Systems
All the water pumped from the deep Simapa wells is pure. Because water could become contaminated as it moves through the pipes underground, or as it stand in tinacos and aljibes, all area residents – Mexicans and foreigners – drink and cook with purified water.
The vast majority of these residents purchase 5-gallon garafones of commercially purified water for less than $2 US. Others have installed water purification systems which filter the water, then treat it with reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light.
Maintenance of Water Systems
Aljibes and tinacos should be emptied, scrubbed and cleaned at least once per year by your plumber, handyman or gardener.
Check the pressure on your pressure tank every week and note how often the pump starts up. If the tank is kicking on frequently, a toilet is running, a faucet dripping, or there is a water leak.
Homeowners need to check that the ultraviolet light in the water purification box is functioning. The bulb must be changed each year, and the filters should be cleaned under running water every month or two, and replaced every six months.
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