84
Thus, the reviewed literature opens an opportunity to research groundwater
users’ participation and perception of drylands to improve the integrated groundwater management where conflicts among actors or exclusionary decision-making
processes appear, and how the components of the coupled human–water system can
enable or impede public participation in Maneadero Valley and facilitate a stewardship of drylands social-ecological systems.
The Maneadero Valley as an Agricultural Dryland
Maneadero Valley is located in the northern part of the Baja California Peninsula in
Mexico. This valley has an agricultural surface of more than 3700 hectares, focused
on the production of vegetables and flowers for exportation where more than 90%
of the products are commercialized in the USA, primarily California. From the
total sowed area, 67.4% are irrigated crops, while 32.6% are seasonal crops
(SEDAGRO 2015).
Various factors have promoted the economic activity in Maneadero Valley. On
the one hand, the class situation, the migrant character, the ethnic origin and the
gender condition of a segment of the work force have promoted the exploitation of
indigenous people. On the other hand, the cost of electric power for water exploitation is subsidized. Thus, the profitability of horticultural production has resulted in
low investment by producers in housing and workers’ services (Garduño et al. 2011)
and low awareness of groundwater over-extraction. Water provides goods and services which are interrelated, determined by the quantity and quality of available
water. While the Maneadero-Las Animas aquifer is the main water supply for the
city of Ensenada (30% of its water supply), it is one of the eight overexploited
coastal aquifers in Baja California and one of the five coastal aquifers affected by
saltwater intrusion (CONAGUA 2018), with total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations between 1080 and 26,950 g L
−1
(Gilabert-Alarcón et al. 2018a, b), exceeding the maximum permissible limit of 1000 mg/L (Official Mexican Standard
NOM-127-SSA).
The Maneadero-Las Animas aquifer belongs to the number one hydrologic
region in north-western Baja California. The aquifer is located 15 km south of the
city of Ensenada (31° 41′ N and 116° 30′ W). It is a hydrologic sub-basin covering
1795 km
2
, of which 75 km
2
belongs to a coastal plain. In addition to rainfall, the
Maneadero coastal aquifer receives water from the runoff of the basin, mainly from
the San Carlos and Las Animas creeks (Fig. 5.1).
The Maneadero aquifer has an average annual recharge of 33.7 Mm
3
, volume
allocated of 39.09 Mm
3
and a deficit of 5.37 Mm
3
(DOF 2018). For 2015, a designated extraction (allowed) of 38.37 Mm
3
and a deficit of 17.57 Mm
3
were registered
(DOF 2015). Currently, there is no availability of new wells or volume increases,
because of the legal restriction on May 15th, 1965 (DOF 1965).
The consumption and water demand of the Maneadero Valley has increased
every year due to the population growth and the economic activities that take place
M. Villada-Canela et al.
Thus, the reviewed literature opens an opportunity to research groundwater
users’ participation and perception of drylands to improve the integrated groundwater management where conflicts among actors or exclusionary decision-making
processes appear, and how the components of the coupled human–water system can
enable or impede public participation in Maneadero Valley and facilitate a stewardship of drylands social-ecological systems.
The Maneadero Valley as an Agricultural Dryland
Maneadero Valley is located in the northern part of the Baja California Peninsula in
Mexico. This valley has an agricultural surface of more than 3700 hectares, focused
on the production of vegetables and flowers for exportation where more than 90%
of the products are commercialized in the USA, primarily California. From the
total sowed area, 67.4% are irrigated crops, while 32.6% are seasonal crops
(SEDAGRO 2015).
Various factors have promoted the economic activity in Maneadero Valley. On
the one hand, the class situation, the migrant character, the ethnic origin and the
gender condition of a segment of the work force have promoted the exploitation of
indigenous people. On the other hand, the cost of electric power for water exploitation is subsidized. Thus, the profitability of horticultural production has resulted in
low investment by producers in housing and workers’ services (Garduño et al. 2011)
and low awareness of groundwater over-extraction. Water provides goods and services which are interrelated, determined by the quantity and quality of available
water. While the Maneadero-Las Animas aquifer is the main water supply for the
city of Ensenada (30% of its water supply), it is one of the eight overexploited
coastal aquifers in Baja California and one of the five coastal aquifers affected by
saltwater intrusion (CONAGUA 2018), with total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations between 1080 and 26,950 g L
−1
(Gilabert-Alarcón et al. 2018a, b), exceeding the maximum permissible limit of 1000 mg/L (Official Mexican Standard
NOM-127-SSA).
The Maneadero-Las Animas aquifer belongs to the number one hydrologic
region in north-western Baja California. The aquifer is located 15 km south of the
city of Ensenada (31° 41′ N and 116° 30′ W). It is a hydrologic sub-basin covering
1795 km
2
, of which 75 km
2
belongs to a coastal plain. In addition to rainfall, the
Maneadero coastal aquifer receives water from the runoff of the basin, mainly from
the San Carlos and Las Animas creeks (Fig. 5.1).
The Maneadero aquifer has an average annual recharge of 33.7 Mm
3
, volume
allocated of 39.09 Mm
3
and a deficit of 5.37 Mm
3
(DOF 2018). For 2015, a designated extraction (allowed) of 38.37 Mm
3
and a deficit of 17.57 Mm
3
were registered
(DOF 2015). Currently, there is no availability of new wells or volume increases,
because of the legal restriction on May 15th, 1965 (DOF 1965).
The consumption and water demand of the Maneadero Valley has increased
every year due to the population growth and the economic activities that take place
M. Villada-Canela et al.