29/10/2026
Guanacaste Under Red Alert as El Niño Threatens Water Supplies
Guanacaste is officially under a red alert, but not for the reason you might expect.
We're actually dealing with a serious drought.
Costa Rica's National Emergency Commission has placed much of Guanacaste under a red alert because of the ongoing effects of El Niño.
So what exactly is El Niño?
Basically, El Niño is a natural weather phenomenon that happens when ocean temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific become warmer than normal. This changes weather patterns around the world, and here in Costa Rica, it typically means significantly less rainfall along the Pacific coast.
And that's exactly what we're experiencing right now.
According to Costa Rica's National Meteorological Institute, the North Pacific region has received approximately 43% less rainfall than normal during the first nine months of this year.
That's a huge difference, especially considering we're still in what should be our rainy season.
Now, anybody who's spent time here in Guanacaste knows we have a very distinct dry season. But what's happening right now is different.
And we're already seeing the consequences right here in our own community.
Just last week, I received a letter from our local water association, and some of the numbers are pretty concerning.
The ASADA, which manages our community's water supply, says the water levels in both of its wells have been steadily dropping since March.
According to the letter, Well 1 has dropped by 87% compared to last year, and Well 2 has dropped by 66%.
One of the wells actually started pumping sand back in July, indicating that the water level was getting dangerously low.
And here's where things get particularly concerning.
The association has now made the decision to take Well 1 completely out of operation to protect what's left of the water supply.
That means residents and businesses could start experiencing lower water pressure, particularly during peak hours.
And if consumption doesn't decrease, the ASADA says it may have to introduce water rationing, potentially shutting off the water supply for several hours each day.
But there's another statistic in this letter that really caught my attention.
Just 10% of the water users here in Surfside are responsible for 50% of all water consumption.
The association says much of this excessive consumption comes from things like leaking pipes and heavy landscape irrigation.
Now, the good news is that improvements are underway.
A new 655-cubic-metre water storage tank is currently under construction, with hopes of having it operational by March of next year. The association is also working toward securing land for another well.
But those are longer-term solutions, and we're heading into our busiest tourism season.
More visitors, more occupied vacation rentals, more laundry, more showers, and more demand on a water supply that's already under pressure.
So should this be a reason to avoid visiting Guanacaste? Absolutely not.
This is still a fantastic place to visit, and tourism is incredibly important to our local economy.
But we do need to recognize that water is a limited resource, and the infrastructure in some of our communities is struggling to keep up with both growth and changing weather conditions.
So please, be mindful of your water consumption while you're here.
Take shorter showers, don't leave taps running, report leaks if you notice them, and remember that the water you're using is the same limited supply that local families and businesses depend on every day.
A little consideration from everyone can make a real difference.
Come enjoy Guanacaste. Just help us take care of it while you're here.
