The Lake
Lake Chapala is about 50 miles (75 kilometers) long and 12.5 miles (20 kilometers) wide and is the largest inland body of water in Mexico as well as the third largest in Latin America.

A question of concern we would frequently get in the past was regarding the level of water in Lake Chapala. This used to be a big issue back in 2001 and 2002 when the water was at a critical level. Then we had a dramatic recovery in 2003 and two consecutive good rainy seasons.
Excerpts from ‘Lake Chapala in 2004 – Another Up-beat Progress Report from Dale Hoyt Palfrey’:
On November 1, the first day of 2004 - 2005 hydrological cycle, the National Water Commission (CAN) reported Lake Chapala containing six billion cubic meters of water (6000 Mm3), the highest storage volume recorded on that date since 1981. During the June-October wet months, the lake regained a total of 2,440 Mm3 in volume, 2.27 meters in altitude level, and 11,696 hectares (ha.) in surface area.


While this year’s gains were more modest in comparison to the dramatic recovery of 2003, the combined effect of two successive plentiful rainy seasons has propitiated a total transformation in Mexico’s largest lake. After dropping to an historic low in the spring of 2003, the lake’s storage volume increased in just six months’ time from 17% to 53% capacity. With added precipitation this year, Lake Chapala closed out 2004 at just over 75% capacity.


However, the bounty of nature is only one aspect of an increasingly rosy panorama that has evolved over the past twelve months.


On March 22, incumbent governors of five states – Estado de Mexico, Queretaro, Guanajuato, Michoacan and Jalisco, joined President Vicente Fox in signing the Agreement of Coordination for the Recuperation and Sustainability of the Lerma-Chapala Basin, a pact that supplants inter-state accords that originated in 1989. Aside from renewing prior commitments, the new agreement is aimed at amplifying the scope of government actions, shifting from a primary focus on water issues to a more holistic ecosystem approach.


Terms of the pact were drawn directly from the Lerma-Chapala Master Plan developed in 2001 by the federal Environment and Natural Resources Ministry (SEMARNAT). The document calls for a wide range of actions revolving around four central axes: Institutional Legal Framework; Water Measurement and Information Systems; Water Administration and Sustainability; Ecological Rehabilitation. Social and economic factors, along with reforestation, soil conservation and clean water programs are contemplated in the package.

“On this day we initiate a strategic action to put a full stop on 50 years of deterioration in the Lerma-Chapala Basin. Today we sign a pact in favor of life, health and progress,” the president declared at the enactment ceremony. “With this meeting we trace better horizons for the region. The will that we demonstrate is the spirit and attitude that Mexico requires. A spirit of commitment and co-responsibility, solidarity and fraternity.”

… Lake Chapala’s revival has likewise boosted prospects for the local economy. Promising signs include rejuvenation of the tourist trade, reactivation of the fishing industry and a booming real estate market.
Lake Chapala is a basin lake and in the past, depended primarily on rain runoff. The water from the lake has also been used to supply Guadalajara with a significant amount of water. The Arcediano dam that is slated to be built in Guadalajara will then supply that city with water, which will help keep the water levels higher in Lake Chapala.

A lot of water coming down from the Lerma River has been wasted with poor agricultural use before ever reaching Lake Chapala. It is a big step getting the five states surrounding the lake to agree on reforestation, soil conservation and clean water programs as well Lake Chapala now being entitled to a certain share of the water coming in from the Lerma each rainy season. That coupled with the dam in Guadalajara which will allow the city of over five million people to become more self sufficient, is good news for our Lake Chapala.

In the last few years there has been increased public awareness, putting pressure on the government to keep their promises.
Excerpt from 21 January 23, 2006 Article, again by Dale Hoyt Palfrey:
As the clock winds down towards the end of their respective terms of office, President Vicente Fox and Jalisco Governor Francisco Ramirez Acuna this week reaffirmed commitments to dam building projects designed to boost the water supply for the cities of Guadalajara, Leon and Guanajuato.

The long-delayed launch of the Arcediano dam on the northeastern outskirts of Guadalajara is now slated for early March, the governor announced this week following a one-on-one meeting with Fox on Monday…
Excerpt from Lake Chapala – An Ecological Update – by Dale Pafrey:
In 2002 Lake Chapala was incorporated into the Living Lakes organization, an international network dedicated to preserving lakes and wetlands that operates under the auspices of the Global Nature Fund. Membership should translate into greater worldwide attention on Chapala, corporate funding for specific projects and permanent pressure on Mexican authorities to keep lake conservation high up on the nation’s environment agenda.
 
The lake is a major tourist attraction. What is it's future?