Pipe Break Threatens Tijuana Water Supply : San Diego Reopens Abandoned Aqueduct to Help in Emergency; Conservation Urged

Water supplies to this sprawling city of more than 1 million were threatened by a rupture in its main aqueduct, and San Diego began sending water across the border Thursday in response to the emergency.

Mexican officials announced plans to dispatch government water trucks to neighborhoods to distribute water, and to reopen at least six state wells formerly used for water supply. Residents were asked to limit use of water to “indispensable” needs in response to the rupture, which occurred Wednesday morning. There were no specific limits placed on industrial water use.

Special consideration was being given for hospitals and firefighting needs, authorities said.

Transnational Link Reopened

San Diego officials announced the reopening of a transnational link Thursday afternoon that was expected to provide Tijuana with up to 13 million gallons of water a day--a critical supply but still less that a third of the more than 40 million gallons used here daily. The link once supplied water south of the border but was abandoned several years ago.

Because of the diversion of San Diego water, city officials asked area residents to adopt voluntary conservation measures, such as limiting outdoor irrigation, car washing and the refilling of swimming pools, as well as curtailing the hosing down of driveways, patios and other paved areas. Restaurants were being asked to serve water only upon request.

“We’re just trying to do what we can,” said Milon Mills, director of the San Diego city Water Utilities Department.

Officials said the problem is likely to continue through much of the Memorial Day weekend, when tens of thousands of U. S. vacationers traditionally head south. Authorities voiced hope that the water supply could return to normal by early next week.

While serious, the effect of the shutdown was mitigated considerably by the fact that the great majority of residents here rely on bottled water from wells and springs for drinking needs. The water carried by the aqueduct is largely used for washing. Also, many houses have tanks that typically contain sufficient aqueduct water to last for several weeks.

Consequently, no panic was evident.

Companies’ Help Sought

“The situation is grave, but we’re doing all within our power to respond to the problem,” said Enrique Sanchez Diaz, chief spokesman for Baja California Gov. Oscar Baylon Chacon.

Baja California state authorities called on private water companies to cooperate and increase service. There were widespread fears of water profiteering after the aqueduct rupture, but government officials said such action would not be tolerated. They threatened prosecutions and fines.

“If this emergency continues, authorities are ready to take whatever steps are necessary,” Arturo Guerra Flores, Baja California’s general government secretary, said in a statement.

As water began flowing south to Tijuana on Thursday, San Diego officials said Mexico will reimburse San Diego for use of the water. The amount has not yet been determined.

Warmer weather without rain is being forecast for the weekend, which could increase water demand on both sides of the border.

The break, which occurred at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday in an underground, 6-foot-diameter pipe, forced the shutdown of the portion of the massive aqueduct system that serves Tijuana with water brought from the Colorado River. Generally, the aqueduct provides more than 90% of the city’s nondrinking water, officials said.

The spill continued for more than three hours before the flow was stopped, authorities said. The cascading water saturated the area near the break with more than 5 million gallons, according to estimates. The water caused some damage to the highway between Tijuana and Tecate, about 35 miles to the east, prompting a diversion of traffic.

Luis Lopez Moctezuma, public works director for Baja California, said the break occurred when a portion of the concrete aqueduct, which is reinforced with metal rods, collapsed.

On Thursday, workmen manned the rupture site, attempting to repair the gaping hole. The site is between the El Carrizo reservoir and a filtration plant near the city’s eastern edge, about 13 miles east of downtown Tijuana.

Authorities said they hoped the break could be repaired by early today. But, with the need to test the patched portion and then refill the aqueduct gradually, officials on both sides of the border said it was unlikely that Tijuana’s water supply would return to normal before Monday.

The aqueduct, a major public-works project that spans more than 200 miles and crosses the rugged Rumorosa Mountains, has been fully utilized only since November, although sections have been in operation for a number of years, officials said. Authorities expressed confidence that the breakdown was limited, although some engineers here have voiced concern about the structure’s long-term viability.

Tourism Officials Worried

Tourism officials, clearly concerned that the water shortage might dissuade Americans and other tourists from visiting, tended to downplay the significance of the break. They noted that many restaurants and hotels have tanks and can buy water privately.

“We’re hoping that visitors here won’t encounter any problems,” said Jose Luis Vazquez Espinoza, secretary of the Tijuana Tourism and Convention Committee.

The rupture coincided with a much-publicized visit to Tijuana by Carlos Hank Gonzalez, Mexico’s minister of tourism.

In Tijuana, where obtaining water has never been easy, the problem affected various areas differently. Some neighborhoods still had running water Thursday afternoon, while others had been without water since Wednesday afternoon.

Although the situation remained orderly Thursday, the sudden shutdown did send many residents and businesses scurrying for alternate sources.

At the giant Calimax supermarket in the upscale Tijuana River zone, store personnel reported that sales of bottled drinking water were brisk--two or three times normal.

“There hasn’t been any panic, but people are concerned,” said Gilberto Sanchez, the store’s assistant manager, as he stood near rows of bottled water.

No Lines for Bottles

However, there were no lines for the bottled water, as most residents appeared to be taking the shutdown calmly, already accustomed to a wide range of hardships.

A taco stand owner in Tijuana’s crowded Colonia Libertad was using his truck to transport plastic tanks of water from his home cistern to use for cleaning purposes at his business.

“I think we’ll manage to get by,” said Manuel Munoz, proprietor of Tacos Puebla, as he helped cart the overflowing plastic containers out of the vehicle.

As in much of the Third World, water is often an intermittent service in Tijuana.

It is estimated that almost a third of all Tijuana residents have no running water at all and are dependent on the sales of private water companies, whose trucks can be seen daily driving up and down the city streets. The firms are often accused of overcharging, though the prices are supposedly regulated by the government.

That situation is repeated in virtually all of Mexico’s fast-growing cities, particularly along the northern border, where recent migrants have settled along the cities’ outskirts, taxing water supplies and other services. Public water service is a constant demand of residents tired of being overcharged by private companies.

Tijuana, whose metropolitan-area population is variously estimated at between 1.2 million and 1.8 million, has long been considered one of the fastest-growing cities in Mexico. Like San Diego, the city is situated in a semi-desert area.

At the urging of the government, a number of bottled-water deliverers ended a work stoppage Thursday that they had undertaken to protest price increases imposed by two major distributors in the area. Government officials had threatened unspecified action should the companies fail to comply.

Miguel Cervantes Sahagun contributed to this story from Tijuana.