Puerto Vallarta, México – SEAPAL Vallarta has announced its first major drainage and pipeline cleaning operation of 2026, scheduled to take place overnight from Thursday, February 19, into the early morning of Friday, February 20. This essential maintenance aims to improve overall service quality by removing mineral buildup from the city’s primary water infrastructure.
The cleaning process is designed to extract sediments such as iron and manganese. These minerals occur naturally in the Ameca River basin, which serves as the primary water source for the region. Over time, these elements accumulate inside the pipelines; while they do not pose a direct threat to public health, they are the primary cause of turbidity or cloudiness in the local water supply.
Residents in the northern part of the municipality should prepare for significant service interruptions. The affected area spans from the Las Juntas district to the bypass and includes the Hotel Zone as well as neighborhoods in the upper sections of El Pitillal. Approximately 150 neighborhoods will experience either low water pressure or complete water outages starting at 10:00 p.m. on Thursday.
As the technical drainage concludes, a gradual recovery of the water system will begin on Friday morning. Residents in lower-elevation areas will see service restored first, while those in higher-altitude neighborhoods can expect water pressure to return to normal throughout Friday afternoon and evening.
During the operation, the public may notice controlled runoff in the canal located at the intersection of 16 de Septiembre and Politécnico Nacional streets. SEAPAL officials clarified that this water discharge is a standard part of the cleaning procedure and should not be mistaken for a pipe leak or a sewage spill.
To minimize the impact of the outage, the water utility recommends that households and businesses with cisterns or water tanks ensure they are filled to capacity prior to Thursday night. SEAPAL expressed gratitude for the community’s patience as these technical improvements are completed to ensure the long-term reliability of the city’s water system.
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