In Mexico, only 37.8% of wastewater is treated (10.5 million people do not have access to sewage), while 9 million people do not have access to potable water. From the total of 653 aquifers, 157 were considered overexploited in 2019, 50 of them incorporated in the last 2 years, which reflects the accelerated path of aquifer overexploitation. Two sites will be engaged: i) Cuernavaca WWTP (341,029 inhabitants; Dry-winter subtropical highland climate; Cuernavaca aquifer), which generates effluents contaminated with CEC, ARGs, MP; ii) San Javier PWTP in Querétaro (794,789 inhabitants; Cold semiarid -steppe- climate; Queretaro aquifer): the aquifer is overexploited (average availability of -63.7 hm3/year), with presence of nitrates due to agriculture activity; 4 of 6 wells also present contamination with fluorides.

Under the NINFA project, data obtained from this case study from monitoring will contribute to the GW Knowledge observatory that will be created under the NINFA project and will help with the validation of the NINFA Platform.