{"id":28316,"date":"2026-05-13T10:49:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T14:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/?post_type=story&p=28316"},"modified":"2026-05-13T10:49:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T14:49:36","slug":"clark-masters-students-analyze-water-quality-impacts-of-climate-change-in-mexico","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/13\/clark-masters-students-analyze-water-quality-impacts-of-climate-change-in-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"Clark master\u2019s students analyze water quality, impacts of climate change in Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

\u2018Our motivation is to raise the voice of this community\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After six months conducting research and surveys in Mexico\u2019s Valle de Bravo, Valeria Obregon Diaz, ES&P \u201926, and Catalina Cuervo Maldonado, ES&P \u201926, discovered pathogens and chemicals in the water and a lack of health insurance and air conditioning in a region with rising temperatures and notable heat-related illnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pair of international students in Clark\u2019s Master\u2019s in Environmental Science and Policy program \u2014 Cuervo Maldonado is from Columbia and Obregon Diaz is from Mexico \u2014 chose to carry out their research in Valle de Bravo because of its dichotomy. While the area is often a vacation destination for wealthy tourists, local residents struggle to access basic needs such as clean water. While in Mexico, the two worked as a team but also focused on individual research topics: Cuervo Maldonado on water quality and Obregon Diaz on health impacts of climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the two carried out their research, their personal passion kept them motivated even when the days were long and the stories from residents were heavy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water quality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"student
Catalina Cuervo Maldonado, ES&P \u201926<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cuervo Maldonado wanted to understand the water quality being supplied to the residents of Valle de Bravo, which is about two hours from Mexico City. A main source of the region\u2019s water is the Cutzamala System, which accounts for 24% of the supply that serves the Central Mexico Valley. She was keen to investigate how certain factors have affected the water quality over the past 20 years, including climate change, water flow patterns, urban development, and land growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019m doing is controversial,\u201d Cuervo Maldonado says. \u201cThe government is disconnected from the community, but if you talk to locals, they don\u2019t drink from the reservoir. When we were talking to citizens, they told us they have water two days a week at 3 in the morning. We have the privilege to go and use the bathroom right now. They don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She analyzed datasets from many different organizations, including The National Water Commission, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, and National Laboratory of Sustainability Science (LANCIS), and analyzed water samples collected at 12 points within the Valle de Bravo reservoir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe measured for E. Coli, E. Coli that is antibiotic resistant, and fecal coliforms,\u201d she explains. \u201cWe measured the physical chemical parameters, like temperature, pH, dissolved oxygens, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cuervo Maldonado and Obregon Diaz presented their research to a Clark audience on April 7, displaying graphs that showcase the impacts of climate change on the water quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n