At the Mexican border, a battle over beer, water and a way of life

Protesters say a brewery that produces Corona and other Mexican beers threatens Mexicali farmers' water supply and way of life

Photos by Omar Ornelas| Published Dec. 1, 2017

Share This Story

MEXICALI, Mexico — It was around 3 a.m. when Filiberto Sanchez snuck onto the property of a huge brewery under construction, hopped three fences and scaled a construction crane.

At the top, he hung a Mexican flag and a sign that read in Spanish: "Get out of here, Constellation!"

He remained there for three days in November with no food, he said, in protest of United States-based Constellation Brands' new facility, which will produce popular Mexican beers like Corona, Negra Modelo and Pacifico.

"We're not opposed to businesses coming here and providing jobs," Sanchez said in Spanish, a few weeks after the hunger strike. "This business is going to dry up this state and city."

In the agriculturally rich Mexicali Valley, construction of the brewery has sparked a heated conflict among a small, passionate group of farmers like Sanchez, who feel their water and way of life are under attack. In addition to the hunger strike, some have set up a protest camp outside the brewery, vowing to remain there until it shuts down.

A group called Mexicali Resiste is supporting the fight. They've protested outside the brewery, motivated by what they view as an injustice: That a U.S.-based company plans to use Mexico’s scarce water to make beer destined for U.S. consumers.

"There's this mythology intertwined with the lives of (Mexicali residents,) where water is a fundamental aspect of our history," said Jesus Galaz Duarte, a member of Mexicali Resiste. "Defending this water is in many ways defending our history."

Meanwhile, Constellation and water experts suggest the brewery will use a negligible amount of water. The company said it will use between 0.1 and 0.3 percent of the total water available to service the region.

Carlos de la Parra, a professor and researcher at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, a research institution focused on the U.S.-Mexico border, called the controversy over the brewery "a lot of hot air."

"We're always scared of changes," he said.

'Our war'

The Colorado River and its tributaries provide water for about 40 million people and farmlands from Wyoming to Mexico.

Over decades, the water has been divvied up through a series of complicated agreements, which had led to less water flowing into the river in an average year than promised. Drought and climate change are putting additional strains on the river.

In the Mexicali Valley, farmers say they're concerned that as the pressures on the river grow – and as the brewery drinks up more of that precious supply – they’re likely to get less water.

Constellation will use, at most, 7 million cubic meters of water per year, according to Michael McGrew, Constellation's vice president of corporate communications. He said the company is working with the local water utility, which will determine the source of the water.

The brewery is slated to be completed by early 2020. It's located less than half an hour from the center of the border city, allowing it to better serve California beer-drinkers, according to the company. It's expected to employ an estimated 750 people and will have the capacity to produce up to 200 million cases of beer per year.

"We have been and remain committed to working closely with local authorities to ensure that all aspects of our project are in full compliance with all local rules and regulations," McGrew said.

But tensions around the facility are as thick as Guinness.

At the makeshift camp outside the brewery property, protesters have hung signs that read, "Go home, Constellation."

Over the past five months, they have taken turns sleeping in tents there. They said they're guarding the irrigation canal that runs along the facility's border. Their goal is to ensure the canal water is not used for the brewery's construction, said Sanchez, the man who climbed the crane.

"This is our war," said Sanchez, whose family has long grown corn and garbanzo beans in the region.

Beyond the crane episode, there have been other protests, too.

Mexicali Resiste grew out of the massive protests in January over hefty increases in gas prices in Mexico. It now has about 30 voting members; more than 43,000 people follow it on Facebook.

The group has raised a list of grievances against Baja California’s state government, led by Gov. Francisco "Kiko" Vega, and condemned officials for allowing the brewery project to proceed.

In July, group members camped outside the brewery for 10 days, trying to block six huge tanks that were en route to the construction site, according to local news reports.

Ana Gabriela Borbon, of Mexicali Resiste, recalled protesting in the desert heat with some 30 others, relying on supporters for water, ice and food. She's participating in this movement, she said, to ensure her 16-year-old daughter has access to water.

"If you see that your child is going to have problems in the future, you must do something right now," she said in Spanish.

Enough water?

Just a few minutes' drive from the brewery, 67-year-old Salvador Mena Garcia lives in a house with a wide porch decorated with dozens of noisy wind chimes. He's grown wheat and corn in the surrounding fields for decades.

Mena, like other Mexicali Valley farmers, relies on water from the Colorado River to irrigate his crops. He's convinced the brewery's operation will reduce the amount of water he gets.

"There's not going to be enough water to irrigate the crops," he said in Spanish. "What is the point of owning this land if I don't have enough water to farm?"


Mexicali residents unite to stop U.S. Brewery from using local water. Omar Ornelas, The Desert Sun

De la Parra, of El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, said farmers have little to worry about. He said the brewery won't significantly affect the quantity of water available for agriculture in the region.

"(Constellation's) production level and the water in the Mexicali Valley are orders of magnitude different," he said in an e-mail.

But Jesus Roman Calleros, a water expert in Mexicali, said the amount of water the brewery is proposing to use would be problematic in the decades to come.

"There's not enough water for them in the long term," he said in Spanish.

At least not as the project is currently proposed, he added. If the company were to talk with the farmers about potential alternatives, however, he said he thinks they might be able to reach an amicable solution.

"The water could be negotiated with the farmers," he said. He said one possibility might be for the company to talk with the farmers about a water deal that would involve treating agricultural runoff for reuse. 

McGrew of Constellation said the company is building the necessary infrastructure to supply water to the brewery. The state's current infrastructure doesn't reach the city's industrial sector, he said.

He said the company's Mexican beer brands must be brewed in the country. It's a sign of respect for the beers' heritage; it's also an opportunity to contribute to Mexicali's economic development, he said.

Mena bristled at the idea that the brewery could bring prosperity to the region.

"I support industries coming to Baja California," he said. "But other types of industries that don't affect the community. Thousands of families here depend on agriculture."

Galaz of Mexicali Resiste agreed. He went to college in California and still sports a West Coast look, with his long hair, flannel shirt and Adidas sneakers.

He compared the struggle to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe's fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. He warned Mexicali farmers might face the same fate as the Joad family, which was driven from its Oklahoma home by drought, hardship and changes to the agriculture industry in John Steinbeck's 'Grapes of Wrath.'

"People are being forced to give up a way of life in the name of progress," he said.



Share This Story