I will make a diagonal approach across the country, from the Northwest, Tijuana, to the Southeast, Oaxaca. Although this is not a complete survey of every water management situation in Mexico it will give the reader a thorough overview of water management. I specifically selected the towns because of their variety and the information available. The purpose of this review is to discover a management policy and implementation that is sustainable. Sustainability, more than a common buzz word, would allow Mexico to provide drinking water to its inhabitants.
Sustainability is the use of a resource without depleting or destroying it for future use.
The best management policies that deal with natural resources tend to be very similar to the way nature manages its resources. The most efficient and well balanced management strategies are found in nature. The hydrologic cycle, for example makes a perfect loop and does not loose a drop of water. In the never-ending loop water is evaporated, formed in clouds, then precipitated back to the earth for the cycle to begin again. The following components, science, economics and politics, are critical to understand when dealing with water management.