In the summer of 2024, the US-based nonprofit Positive Legacy reached out to Puente de Conexión about teaming up on a water filtration project in Central Vallarta, Mexico. Positive Legacy already had a relationship with the village and had completed projects there in the past, but they were looking for someone who lived locally to be their boots on the ground. The plan was for Conexión to also connect with local leaders, help write the grant, manage the funds, and oversee the purchase of supplies and labor needed to complete the project.
Bridget Espinosa and Suzanne Ball of Conexión met with community leaders and toured Central Vallarta, a small village that falls under the municipality of Puerto Morelos but sits along the Leona Vicario-Puerto Morelos highway, outside the city. Because of its remote location, accessing resources and materials can be a challenge. The village is home to about 35 families, totaling around 95 people, including 19 children. Surrounded by protected natural areas, some residents find work maintaining green spaces or in the tourism sector, but overall, job opportunities are scarce. Many have to travel to Puerto Morelos, Leona Vicario or even further to Cancun or Playa del Carmen for better-paying work.
Residents rely on their own wells for both potable and non-potable water, but with ongoing development in the area, including the construction of the Mayan Train, water quality is at risk. Since there’s no established potable water distributor in Central Vallarta, families depend on bottled water deliveries just once or twice a week.
Through discussions with community leaders, additional needs emerged, leading to a broader project. Along with installing the water filter, improvements were made to the park, school, and medical clinic. A baseline study of the local water was also conducted to measure the impact of filtration. Suzanne and Russ Farr of Positive Legacy completed the budget and grant proposal, which was approved by the Positive Legacy board in late November 2024.
Once the funds came through, Suzanne and Russ quickly coordinated with local contractors for the water filter installation. Supplies were secured, a new well was dug, and by early December, the new well and water filtration system was in place.
Positive Legacy also organized two Days of Service volunteer events in December 2024. During these events, teams from Conexión, Experience Puerto Morelos, Positive Legacy, and about 40-50 volunteers from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico—including local residents, El Telar, and students from the Colegio de Bachilleres who had also been working on a basic water filtration system using readily available and inexpensive materials —came together to make a difference in Central Vallarta. Volunteers resealed and painted roofs, created murals, installed new toilet seats at the school, refurbished desks, repaired playground equipment, spread gravel, and cleaned up the park. Later, water supply was connected to the medical center, a bathroom door was installed for privacy, and a shelter was built to protect the new water filter and well pump.
Now in 2025, we’re fine-tuning the filtration system and planning to install a UV filter to prevent algae growth. Once that’s in place, additional water testing will ensure the system is delivering safe drinking water. Looking ahead, we hope to bring similar filtration projects to other communities in the Yucatán Peninsula where clean water is hard to come by, improving health and quality of life for even more people.
May 2025 Update
We’re so pleased to announce that the community of Central Vallarta has a working water filtration system that provides free water to everyone in the community!
On May 12, 2025, chemist Alejandro Dzul Casanova from the Alquimia Laboratory in Cancún came to discuss and advise Suzanne Ball, Interim Executive Director of Puente de Conexión, Subdelegado or deputy of Central Vallarta, Alejandro Montoya, and other community leaders of the town about the results of the water sample taken April 3, 2025. Mr. Dzul stated that the water tested in the laboratory is safe to drink and complies with the Official Mexican Standard NOM-201-SSA1-2015 for water and ice intended for human consumption. He also gave a list of recommendations of best practices for the community’s safe use and maintenance of the filter.
On May 20, 2025, Suzanne held a meeting with people of Central Vallarta and trained them on best practices of cleaning and refilling their own garrafons in order to avoid cross-contamination. We also discussed the importance of the community ensuring that their septic tanks are sealed and that they properly dispose of chemicals so that their water supply is not contaminated. The filter continues to need daily flushing, the tinaco on the roof of the building needs weekly attention, and the filters will need to be replaced periodically according to the manufacturers instructions. They will also need ongoing water testing at least twice per year (once during dry season and once during rainy season) to ensure that the filters continue to operate effectively and that their water continues to remain at healthy levels. Town leadership did their due diligence and verified the lab results with 2 additional independent sources all of which agreed that the water is safe.
We ended the event with a water tasting, with everyone present drinking filtered water from the new system. It was a simple, joyous moment that we are happy to have been a part of. The town’s people are thankful for the clean water, and the savings this means to them instead of having to purchase water every week.
Want to join us and be a part of the work that we do in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, or Detroit, Michigan? Donate now – we are a US 501(c)(3) non-profit, so your donations are tax-deductible and will make a great difference!
