Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, June 15, 2026 – Profepa closed a property on Avenida México after a citizen complaint alleged that a lagoon used by protected wildlife had been drained near the Guadalajara highway entrance to Puerto Vallarta. The closure was reported Sunday, June 14.
The property sits beside Avenida México, close to the highway to Guadalajara. The reported lagoon is more visible during the rainy season, when small water bodies and floodable land become easier to identify.
The public report does not identify the property owner, the Profepa file number, the species involved, or whether the agency ordered restoration, fauna rescue, or penalties beyond the closure.
Closure sign reportedly removed
One closure notice had already been removed by the time the case was reported. That detail matters because federal environmental closures are not warnings or public notices. They are legal measures tied to an inspection process.
Profepa’s inspection procedure says inspectors may impose security measures when they detect an imminent risk of ecological imbalance or serious damage to natural resources.
Mexico’s federal environmental law allows temporary, partial, or total closure when authorities find a risk of serious damage to natural resources or ecosystems. The same law requires the authority to state the actions needed to correct the irregularities and to set deadlines for compliance. The full law is available through the Chamber of Deputies.
If a closure seal or notice placed by an authority is broken or removed, the issue can move beyond the environmental case. Mexico’s Federal Penal Code treats the breaking of official seals as an offense punishable by community service.
Earlier complaints involved small lagoons
The Avenida México closure follows a separate late-May complaint from residents of Brisas del Pacífico II and La Trinidad. In that case, neighbors reported machinery moving soil around a small lagoon between Avenida Palma Real and Calle San Nicolás, near the area known as El Pirulí. The complaint said residents wanted federal authorities to intervene before the wildlife habitat was covered
That earlier complaint also raised a local permitting question. Puerto Vallarta’s urban development director, Edén Castillón, said the city had not been aware of the work and would send inspectors. He said earth movement requires official authorization.
Habitat pressure in Puerto Vallarta
Small lagoons and floodable areas can look minor during the dry months. In Puerto Vallarta, they may also serve as wildlife habitats and stormwater retention areas once the rains return.
The concern is heightened because Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas are home to the Vallarta mud turtle, or tortuga casquito de Vallarta, a freshwater species associated with lagoons and floodplains. UNAM science reporting says the species inhabits freshwater lagoons and floodable areas in Bahía de Banderas, including Puerto Vallarta and southern Nayarit.
That does not mean the Avenida México case involves the tortuga casquito. Profepa has not publicly identified the species tied to this closure.
The broader habitat issue is already active locally. In May, Profepa inspected two properties in Puerto Vallarta within a casquito turtle nesting area and imposed temporary total closures after authorities reported land-use changes, vegetation removal, and the lack of an environmental impact authorization from Semarnat.
PVDN has been following the larger conservation fight, including Profepa’s earlier worksite closures and the growth debate over remaining freshwater habitat. Readers can find that background in our reporting on how Profepa closed work sites to protect the Vallarta turtle and our explainer on the tiny turtle at the center of Puerto Vallarta’s growth debate.
