Tres Ríos Environmental Highlights 

Since its inception, Tres Ríos has taken a careful, holistic approach to planning, under the guidance of strict environmental criteria and scientific study. The overall design ensures the project’s environmental feasibility by guaranteeing the continuing integrity of the region’s ecosystems. After two years of initial study as well as two years of continued monitoring, here are some of the specific ways we aim to accomplish these goals:

Careful Placement of All Facilities

• All permanent infrastructure will be placed at least 50 meters (165 ft.) away from the shoreline to avoid affecting coastal and dune ecosystems.
• All permanent facilities will be at least 20 meters (65 ft.) away from all cenotes (natural fresh-water springs) and 10 meters (30-plus ft.) from the site’s three rivers.
• The majority of Tres Ríos’ infrastructure is, and will continue to be, located on areas of lower-quality vegetation. The areas that have been determined to be the most environmentally valuable will be designated as conservation areas.
• To avoid changing either the surface drainage or underground water flow, the foundations of all buildings will be set on permeable rock bases and elevated platforms. This guarantees that the project’s infrastructure will not affect the property’s own or neighboring mangrove areas.

• More than 150 acres of mangrove and jungle will remain as permanent conservation areas, with only the minimal amount of infrastructure that is required for operation and maintenance.
• Tres Ríos will only house native and regionally adapted plants throughout the property for gardens and landscaping. The use of these species will significantly reduce water consumption and minimize agrochemical build-up in the region’s subsoil and aquifers.

• Detailed geo-hydrological studies have determined the direction of underground water flows, the precise depths from which drinking water should be extracted, and the depths to which residual and treated waters—from the water-treatment plant and the reverse-osmosis plant—should be injected, to avoid contaminating the aquifer, the land, and the marine ecosystems.
• Tres Ríos is built using a series of digital models that identifies the direction of the natural surface drainage. This information, based on topographical data, digital aerial photography, and the use of a Geographical Information System, helps us route Tres Ríos’ roads and pathways so as to avoid affecting the flow of surface water, thus protecting the mangroves’ water supply.
• Tres Ríos will design and construct canals that will operate and maintain themselves naturally, with low salinity and high water clarity. The high rate of water exchange in these canals will ensure the proper balance of nutrients and oxygen for healthy plant and water life. This system will also create new underwater and shoreline mangrove habitats to promote the resting, feeding, and habitat integrity of numerous birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and crustaceans.
• Because the use of agrochemicals in gardens can potentially pollute the subsoil and aquifers, Tres Ríos will only use CICOPLAFEST-approved insecticides and residually treated water for irrigation. (CICOPLAFEST is an acronym for the top Mexican federal commission that coordinates efforts to regulate agrochemicals and toxic chemicals.)