Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, August 16, 2026 – A city decision to drain standing water into the sea at Las Glorias has reached the Puerto Vallarta council, where Councilwoman Melissa Madero accused municipal crews of releasing water contaminated with sewage.
The municipality acknowledges that its Infrastructure and Public Works Department opened the channel near Andador Picasso. In its original response from Las Glorias, the city described the operation as desilting work after water remained trapped in the Hotel Zone beach corridor. Images published with the post showed heavy equipment cutting an outlet through the sand.
PVDN first examined the Las Glorias discharge on August 6, after heavy rain disrupted the sewer network and left sewage-tainted floodwater in the neighborhood. Earlier cleanup coverage reported SEAPAL crews disinfecting parts of Las Glorias while responding to storm-related sewer problems.
The latest dispute centers on the emergency authority cited by Public Works and the environmental notices required after that authority is used.
Madero submitted formal information requests on August 4 to the municipal departments overseeing public works, environmental sustainability and city services. She asked which technical studies, permits and legal provisions supported the decision to open the channel.
Public Works later acknowledged carrying out the operation and characterized it as an emergency response to health, mobility and safety risks created by the standing water, Meridiano Vallarta reported.
During this week’s council session, Madero said she contacted the federal Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat and found no permit or emergency notice connected to the operation. Her statement about the federal records was presented during the council debate.
Public Works cited the emergency exception contained in Article 7 of Mexico’s federal environmental-impact regulation. That provision allows work to begin without advance impact review when a disaster is imminent or an emergency must be addressed.
The federal regulation published by Profepa still requires notice to the Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat within 72 hours of work beginning. Article 8 also requires a report within 20 days describing the actions taken and any mitigation or compensation measures applied or planned.
A separate federal rule governs wastewater discharges. NOM-001-SEMARNAT-2021 establishes contaminant limits on wastewater entering nationally owned receiving waters, including Mexican marine zones. The standard excludes water from drainage systems used exclusively to carry stormwater.
Madero’s accusation is that the standing water did not fall within that exclusion because sewage from a saturated drainage network had mixed with the rainwater. She told the council that a SEAPAL Vactor truck could have extracted the water instead of directing it toward the ocean.
The councilwoman also raised the timing of the beach work during sea turtle nesting season. She asked Mayor Luis Ernesto Munguía to review the actions of the municipal officials involved and require environmental documentation during future interventions along Puerto Vallarta’s beaches.
