Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, June 20, 2026 – Reported leachate runoff at the El Gavilán landfill has added a new environmental concern to a site already under partial closure after a fire that began in late May.
The concern now reaches beyond smoke. It centers on contaminated liquid moving through areas described by Tribuna de la Bahía as lacking a protective membrane, the type of barrier meant to help keep landfill fluids from filtering into soil and groundwater.
That detail puts El Gavilán’s operation, inspection history, and rainy-season readiness back under public scrutiny. Puerto Vallarta still needs daily trash collection, but residents also need to know whether the landfill’s containment systems are working.
Why leachate changes the landfill story
Leachate is the dark liquid created when water filters through decomposing waste. Mexico’s NOM-083-SEMARNAT-2003 defines it as liquid formed by reaction, dragging, or filtering through waste materials, and warns it can infiltrate soil or run off from disposal sites.
That does not mean groundwater contamination has been confirmed at El Gavilán. It does mean the reported runoff is exactly the kind of condition landfill controls are supposed to prevent.
Puerto Vallarta is entering the wettest stretch of the year, and the National Meteorological Service has forecast very heavy to heavy rain in parts of Jalisco this weekend. Rain can increase runoff pressure at any landfill, especially when normal disposal areas are limited by fire damage or closure orders.
Fire, closure, and the permit dispute
The El Gavilán fire began on May 28 in the tire area, sending a large black smoke column over parts of Puerto Vallarta. Emergency crews moved to stop the flames from spreading across the landfill, and no injuries were reported during the first response.
The smoke later triggered an atmospheric emergency and then an alert after state officials warned that burning tires posed health risks. Jalisco’s environment secretary, Paola Bauche Petersen, said the alert zone restricted outdoor activity for children and older adults while smoke remained active.
PROEPA imposed a partial closure on June 5. The state action was tied to the lack of a current environmental impact authorization, active smoke and fire conditions, and alleged noncompliance with the technical requirements of NOM-083.
The city has disputed the idea that it failed to act. A municipal official later said Puerto Vallarta had “all the paperwork needed” and that the renewal process had begun, while acknowledging that the final technical status lay with the city’s environmental area.
PVDN has been following the issue since questions emerged over the landfill’s permit status and the later PROEPA partial closure of El Gavilán. The new leachate report moves the story from paperwork and smoke into the landfill’s day-to-day environmental controls.
Trash is still moving, but where it goes matters
The partial closure did not stop Puerto Vallarta’s trash stream. El Gavilán remains the city’s key disposal site, and waste has continued to move through limited areas while the burned section cools and remains under restrictions.
The reported leachate appeared in areas where a protective membrane was not installed, while smoke was still coming from the upper waste mound. As of the publication of the local report, the municipal government had not issued a public response to the new concern.
The older warning signs
El Gavilán’s problems did not begin with this fire. When Red Ambiental handed the landfill back to the municipality on March 31, the company said it had handled more than 150,000 tons of waste during its operating period and had previously reported deficiencies in leachate lagoons, biogas control, monitoring, waterproofing, and slope stability.
The company also said it made improvements before the handover. That history now matters because the landfill returned to full municipal control on April 1, less than two months before the fire.
The useful question for residents is not who gets blamed first. It is whether the site is being managed in a way that protects nearby soil, water, workers, and communities while the fire area remains restricted.
Answers Puerto Vallarta still needs
Residents need to know which parts of El Gavilán are under PROEPA seal, which areas are still receiving waste, and whether those areas have liners or other containment systems. They also need to know whether runoff has been sampled and whether groundwater near the landfill has been tested since the fire.
The most urgent question is whether leachate is being collected. How are they being treated? Who is signing off on daily operations while the partial closure remains in place?
Puerto Vallarta still has to collect trash every day. It also has to ensure that emergency landfill operations do not create a second environmental problem while the first one is still smoking.
