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Some water history
Posted by EddieJ on May 25, 2026, 2:15 pm
Back around 2000 to 2007, there was a serious drought in this entire area. The mangrove did not connect with the ocean for around 5+ years. The water level of the mangrove was so low that there was a beach below the cocodrilo current entrance. Up at Perula, the brush along the highway was non existant so you could see the ocean as you drove until the hill on the south end of the bay. La Manzanilla was much smaller then. As a visitor, I was unaware of the water problems of that time. However, weather patterns repeat and someday a similar drought could take place. I built Puerta a La Playa on the beach in 2018. At that time, my builder advised that some day La Manzanilla would have to supplement its water supply with a line from Boca de Iguanas which supposedly has plentiful water. I attended a meeting with the developers of the beach properties near Boca. Their intention was to run a water line from Boca along the beach to Imix. They installed the line but stopped it at El Gabacho restaurant. Everything north of El Gabacho is being served by water wells in Boca which took a partial load off of La Manzanilla water system. La Manzanilla has grown much larger with more rental units, more pools, more restaurants and more visitors. I’m guessing the town has more than doubled its water usage since the last drought. La Maanzanilla has been proactive in improving its infrastructure. But it is hard to keep up. We have been lucky to have concerned residents actively peruse solutions to the problems largely created by growth. I personally appreciate all of your efforts. I would like to know if a) Boca has a sufficient water supply to supplement La Manzanilla and b) Is it a long term answer to our ground water supply. EddieJ
Re: Some water history
Posted by Jo AnnaH on May 25, 2026, 11:19 pm, in reply to "Some water history"
Eddie, do you know who owns or controls the water rights at Boca?
Short answer no. I have been told Boca de Iguanas is part of the La Manzanilla ejido, not a separate entity. I have no idea how the water rights are controlled by Mexico law. The La Manzanilla wells appear to compete with Tamarindo. Boca doesn’t have that kind of development or competition for water resources. Although there is development near Boca, it is not nearly the size of Four Seasons and the golf course.
We lived in Boca for 3 years 2022 - 2025 on a rural property. We had a dug well, 5' diameter, about 30' deep. Always lots of water, good recovery, as we had 1.5 acre of gardens and grass that we irrigated. Mind you we did have it dug out another meter in late spring 2024, as the water level was down more than usual - also a dry year. I noticed that many of the farms in the area had 4" - 6" irrigation pipes. So, lots of water was being consumed. So good idea to look to Boca for water for La Manz. We definitely have a problem here. And yes, Boca is part of LM ejido. Or drill another well. One would hope that there are some infastructure funds available for an essential resource
on May 25, 2026, 2:15 pm
