Early in the 20th century, Monterrey, Mexico began a successful economic metamorphosis and growth pattern that remains an exception in Mexico. This all began with increased investments in irrigation that fueled a boom in agriculture and ranching for this northern Mexican city. The economic growth has fueled income disparity for the 3.86 million residents who live in the Monterrey Metro area (MMA). In addition, the rapid urbanization has taken a large toll on the water resources. In addressing many of this challenges, the city of Monterrey has become a model for sound and effective Integrated urban water management. The challenges that Monterrey has confronted pertain to scarcity of surface water resources, poor water quality due to untreated industrial effluents, political cycles and term-limits which can limit long-term vision, and water disputes between urban and agricultural users. Monterrey has good groundwater "well-fields" that supply about 40% of the water demand for the city and generally are not over-exploited because of good connections to high-yield aquifer systems in the central parts of the "Curvatura de Monterrey". These wells are managed as storage reserves that can be used in time of drought, which is quite common in this region of Mexico. Also unique to Monterrey is an arrangement made between farmers and the municipality, whereby the farmers grant the use of their water rights from the nearby Cuchillo reservoir and the municipal water utility SADM (Servicios de Agua y Drenaje de Monterrey) returns urban used and treated water to farmers for irrigation. This arrangement has benefited both parties since SADM supplements its water supply with high quality but internmitent supply from the Cuchillo reservoir and farmers receive a consistent and full of nutrients water for irrigation. The longer term outlook for the area is for urbanization to continue and water availability to decrease, therefore, new water management strategies will have to be created.
Economic and social During the first half of the 1900s, high investments in irrigation infrastructure had spurred agricultural development. Referred to as the "Mexican miracle" from the 1940s through the 1970s, rapid economic and population growth transformed Monterrey into the second most important industrial city and second largest city in the country with a metropolitan population of 3.8 million. Monterrey's rapid urbanization was driven in part by the development of assembly plants (‘‘maquiladoras’’) and expanded significantly with the 1994 signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). More specifically, the electronics industry became the largest industry in Monterrey and employs large volumes of industrial solvents in its productive process. These harmful chemicals are the most serious concern to surface and ground water in the Monterrey metro area §k§l§6Hola=D. A water shortage in the late 1970s forced rationing on 750,000 people, most of whom were poor and already experienced low access to water. Forced water rationing spawned water protests that escalated to larger organized mass rallies, blockades, seizure of water service trucks, taking over of government buildings, and the holding hostage of water delivery drivers. Most of these actions were led by poor women and resulted in presidential action with the creation of the "Water for Everyone" (Agua para Todos) program that ushered in a new era of government spending that promised to bring water to every resident by 1985.
Geography and climate Monterrey is the capital city of the state of Nuevo León, and is situated approximately in the center of the state located in NE-Mexico and close to the Texas border. Monterrey has an elevation of 1,740 feet (530 m) above sea level and is located in a wide basin about 40 miles (64 km) across, surrounded to the north, west, and south by mountains. It has a semi-arid climate with a mean temperature of 75 °F (24 °C). However, most of the year temperatures are either warmer than 82 °F (28 °C), or cooler than 57 °F (14 °C). Monterrey's annual rainfall averages 584 mm (23 inches), with most of this total falling between June and October during the Atlantic hurricane season.
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