A new study of pollutants in the groundwater along the eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula shows how breakneck tourism development is depositing new contaminants in the region’s fragile coastal environment. The Riviera Maya, as the tourist area south of Cancún is known here, is one of Mexico’s fastest-growing regions. As developers raze lowland jungle to make way for resorts and golf courses, Mexicans are arriving in search of work, further intensifying environmental pressures. The study, published in the April issue of the international journal Environmental Pollution, finds evidence that contaminants from household wastewater, golf course runoff and other sources are seeping into the groundwater through the peninsula’s porous limestone. Although Mexico’s National Water Commission measures bacteria, organic pollutants and heavy metals in drinking... [Log in to read more]