The village has already built the dam I am talking about
at a perfect location in an arroyo
about 1000 meters above the pump
that serves the water distribution system of the village.
The dam was built about two years ago and it serves its purpose.
But Tecalpulco was only able to construct the dam in earthworks.
Because the village did NOT have much money to work with
still Tecalpulco’s Water Committee made a considerable accomplishment.
(funding was from the state government, and Taxco Municipality
provided the use for several weeks of a claw-hand excavator tractor)
1. they cut a way to get into the dam location with heavy equipment
2. they constructed an earthen dam across the ravine about 100 meters in length
This dam captures a LOT of water (the ravine is deep)
but the water pressure broke a part of the dam through
to about a level of two meters at least
Also, the people fear that it might break, endangering
women and kids who go to wash in the arroyo below.
The dam is located about 1000 meters up a ravine
from the town well and pump
that services Tecalpulco’s distribution net with water.
They want to connect the reservoir up the arroyo with the town well
It is About 1500 meters in length down the arroyo below to the pump.
In the dry months, February – June, water is very scarce in Tecalpulco.
The local landscape turns into a desert of hardy thorn bushes.
People have to buy water by the tank truck to fill their deposit tanks.
Because water is so scarce, people drink polluted water at times.
The idea behind the construction of the earthworks dam
Is to conduct the water down by gravity to feed the town well.
That mass of water up there also helps raise the water table farther down
There are quite a few good places to make such reservoir dams on that arroyo, eventually that will be the plan, to create a series of reservoirs along that ravine.
No matter how many dams you build
or how large they are,
they will all fill with water in a rainy season.
The present project is to support the dam with a masonry wall,
reinforced with steel rod in concrete.
Then, Tecalpulco will count on a valuable large reservoir
and source of water to feed the town pump in dry season.
The men of Tecalpulco are all stone builders;
they are all qualified to construct the masonry.
This is an opportunity to present a real showpiece of a dam;
…a dam to be proud of having been a part of getting it built.
The idea is to re-enforce with stone, iron, and cement,
the earthworks dam that has already been built there.
The next thing to do after re-enforcing the earthworks dam
will be to have a bulldozer carve away the surrounding hills
to widen the reservoir so as to greatly increase its capacity.
The people of Tecalpulco, working with the government,
built this earthen dam with their own resources because they NEED water.
It is extremely desert-like in Tecalpulco in the dry season and water is critical.
What they did when they built that earth dam, was stock it with mojarra fish.
This type of fish productively reproduces. When somebody is really hungry
he or she can go catch one and have their mama fry it up with tortilla and
salt.